How climate change can affect mental health

Last week, several parts of Oman and nearby GCC countries witnessed heavy rains and severe flooding causing deaths and destruction to properties.

Eleven schoolboys lost their lives while being driven home from school in the northeastern part of Oman. This time we were shocked and surprised that there was not much warning from the metropolitan office unlike before and the public overreacted accusing the Ministry of Education of negligence and asking for resignations and trials.

Such a reaction is understandable yet in my opinion was an overreaction and an attempt to find a scapegoat. Instead of pointing fingers around it would be better to think strategically on how to improve the quality of early and accurate detection of weather events and develop emergency plans. The impact of climate change has been discussed from economic and financial perspectives.

In most countries people get together after extreme weather conditions, volunteer to provide food and shelter help in cleaning houses, and collect donations to replace damaged goods yet we hear very little about psychological support or what is known as “first aid”.

Even when such interventions are provided, they are often limited and delivered by inexperienced volunteers with limited training in mental health. New evidence suggests that experiencing extreme weather events such as hurricanes, wildfires, floods, or droughts can be traumatising. People experiencing the destruction of their homes and properties and displacement are more at risk of developing a variety of psychological problems such as anxiety, feelings of helplessness, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal thoughts.

There is also new evidence linking the rise in temperature to an increase in aggression and criminal behavior. I remember having a client in his 40s who was traumatised during the hurricane that affected Oman in 2007 when lost his car in the flooding. Since then, he would become extremely anxious and panicking when he sees heavy clouds stopping his family from leaving the house and would not relax until the clouds disappear.

According to studies, people with underlying mental health conditions or substance use problems are at higher risk for death from increased heat and humidity by 25-30 per cent compared to those without such conditions. Climate change may also affect early childhood development while air pollution and higher temperatures increase the risk of strokes and dementia among older adults.

So, what can be done to reduce the psychological impact of climate change? At an international level, more strategies and action plans need to be implemented to address climate change and what can be done to prevent further damage to the ecosystem. We need more funding for research on the psychological impact of climate change and what can be done to improve the psychological resilience of people and help people recover from the trauma they experience following extreme weather events. Design culturally appropriate psycho-social interventions since people behave differently when facing atrocities. Raising public awareness about climate change would encourage everyone to do their best to prevent further damage to the environment. Training volunteers to deliver psychological first aid would reduce the impact of weather conditions on those affected.