Mental health and climate change

Eco-anxiety / Solastalgia

The first people affected by this impact are those who have the most knowledge about climate change. Thus young people or people working in the climate environment find themselves particularly impacted by the latter.

Perhaps you have already heard the terms eco-anxiety and solastalgia. The two terms are closely related, even used in the same way. However, we can slightly differentiate them from each other. 

Eco anxiety is a term used since the 90s while the concept of solastalgia arrived around 2003. Eco anxiety can be defined as a suffering linked to the projection on the future of global warming and a anxiety linked to its evolution, its changes...

A bit on the same principle as eco anxiety, solastalgia will mainly focus on the depressive symptoms caused by environmental/climatic changes. 

Therapeutic support:

As seen previously, climate change has a significant impact on anxiety and depression. Therefore, therapeutic support may be necessary to help people manage their emotions such as anxiety. To do this, virtual reality makes it possible to expose the patient to situations that are anxiety-provoking or reminiscent of climate issues. Then during the exposures the therapist brings emotion management tools to the patient.

Post-traumatic stress

Post-traumatic stress linked to climate can be direct or anticipatory. Indeed, climate change increasingly favors climatic disasters (major fires, floods, heatwaves, etc.), which can leave traumatic after-effects in people who have directly experienced them. 

We can also find anticipation of ecological catastrophe, which can itself promote the development of post-traumatic stress. 

Therapeutic support:

In the context of post-traumatic stress following different types of climatic disasters, for example, therapy by exposure to virtual reality will make it possible to plunge the patient back into some of these traumatic places. Of course, the exposure is done progressively. As with the management of anxiety, the therapist will accompany the patient during these exposures in order to provide him with emotion management tools and to work on catastrophic thoughts. The environments created by virtual reality make it possible to get as close as possible to real environments to allow optimal exposure and support.

Violence

Perhaps by reading this title of “violence” you say to yourself, how can the climate impact violence? Many studies have focused on the effect of high heat (or, on the contrary, high coolness). A meta-analysis by 3 researchers from the University of Berkeley, notably demonstrated that a higher temperature than the normal season, increases the risks of interpersonal conflicts by 4% and the risks of conflicts between groups by 14%. 

Perhaps you yourself have noticed that you are more sensitive and less patient when you are too hot or too cold?

Therapeutic support:

Different therapies can help with anger/violence management. As part of emotion management, virtual reality will allow the patient to be exposed to relaxation situations. Thanks to environments designed for relaxation, as well as the audios that accompany them, the therapist will support the patient in learning how to manage their anger.

Depression

Previously we talked about depression in the context of solastalgia. This time we are tackling depression linked to pollution together. 

Indeed, a British study carried out over more than 7 years, with 13,000 people, shows a link between air pollution and an increase in the number of depression. This same study demonstrates a link with pollutants and increased anxiety and the risk of developing psychiatric pathologies such as schizophrenia. The study researchers explain that pollutants have significant inflammatory effects which promote psychotic and mood disorders.  

Episodes of depression can also develop in connection with increased temperature. Indeed, we have known for a long time that high temperature conditions are very difficult psychologically. Indeed, many people fear that they will not tolerate the heat well, are afraid of having anxiety attacks, of suffocation, etc., which promotes depression as well as anxiety in these people. 

In this pursuit, studies demonstrate an increase in the risk and number of suicides in connection with the increase in temperature. 

Therapeutic support:

Virtual reality also has its place in the treatment of climate-related depression. Indeed, virtual reality will make it possible to use environments in the context of relaxation/meditation. Thus, patients will be immersed in virtual universes, which are ideal supports for learning relaxation, breathing techniques, letting go, etc. It will also make it possible to work on behavioral activation, by allowing the patient to re-expose themselves through virtual reality to different situations that are pleasant for them.

An example of physical impact: Medication and heat

What do drugs do in the context of climate? 

Certain medications can worsen symptoms that can occur in heat, such as dehydration. Indeed, these medications can act on the regulation of body temperature. However, as we have just seen previously, the warmer people are, the more there is an impact on anxiety, depression, violence... 

So with the increase in temperature, it will be necessary to think about readjusting the prescribed drug treatments. 

In addition, certain medications can deteriorate with heat (such as liquids, suppositories, creams, etc.). The rest of the medications such as capsules, powders, etc. can also end up spoiling over time.

Here are some examples of the impact of climate on the mental health of individuals. As you will surely have understood, the consequences linked to the climate bring new therapeutic care. More and more people need to have this moment of listening, of discussing about their concerns, emotions... It is therefore important to support people in order to help them manage them and feel better on a daily basis!