Increased temperatures make mental health problems like stress and depression more likely
It has been shouted that global warming has a major impact on human life and the body, but recent research has shown that not only human bodies but also mental states are affected by rising temperatures. It is becoming clear. Recent studies have shown that sustained hot days increase the likelihood of a person complaining of poor mental health.
Temperature and self-reported mental health in the United States
Hotter weather brings more stress, depression and other mental health problems
https://theconversation.com/hotter-weather-brings-more-stress-depression-and-other-mental-health-problems-134325
Climate Change's Hotter Days Will Take Toll on Mental Health | Health News | US News
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-03-25/climate-changes-hotter-days-will-take-toll-on-mental-health
Susana Ferreira and Trevis Smith, associate professors of agriculture and applied economics at the University of Georgia, have studied the relationship between self-reported mental health and temperature in the United States. The study is based on a telephone survey of more than 3 million Americans conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 1993 and 2010. Researchers show that fewer people report poor mental health on cold days compared to relatively 'easy days' with temperatures between 15.5 and 21 degrees Celsius, and worse on hot days It seems that it was shown.
On the other hand, the effects of cold days immediately appeared on humans, whereas the effects of hot days started to appear after 10 days. On average, the probability of reporting worsening mental health increased by 0.3% for each additional day that the temperature exceeded 26.6 degrees.
Of course, there are individual differences in tolerance to heat stress. On the other hand, researchers say that those who report poor mental health often report problems related to heat.
From the beginning of recording in 1880 until 2016,
The global average temperature is
Although the effects of warming on the human body have been studied so far, the effects on human spirit are areas that have not yet been studied. However, 'mental illness when the temperature is high, suicide, increase visits to the emergency department due to the deterioration of mental health' is also in the initial stage of research, such as research results that and 'the weather is associated with deterioration of emotional expression' research As a result , research results show that high temperatures increase suicide in the United States and Mexico.
The UN's Sustainable Development Goals, set out by 2030, include `` improving mental health, '' but Ferreira and colleagues say that this will be a major challenge in a world where temperatures are rising. States.
Past research has shown that the cause of the increase in fatalities related to heat was the absence of air conditioning, and the relationship between air temperature and mental health was affected by income disparities such as accessibility to air conditioning. It may be related. Whether the relationship between mental health and temperature is the same, researchers say, needs to be investigated in the future.
In recent years, droughts, forest fires, floods, and other climate changes have caused many abnormal weather events, and their effects on mental health have been investigated. (PDF file) A report from the American Psychological Association shows that 7-40% of survivors of natural disasters report some mental pathology, and the author of the report, Susan Clayton, Stressed the importance of the relationship between climate and mental health, following the findings of Ferreira and colleagues. 'This does not indicate that we are all together with the fate of 'deteriorating mental health'; it reminds us of the need for preparation,' Clayton said.
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