In the face of compelling evidence of climate disaster, people are struggling to adjust. Different people are affected in different ways.
Maladaptive coping methods such as using alcohol and drugs to escape from the news of natural disasters and impending chaos around climate change are now becoming more extreme.
The constant frightening images activate the brain’s fear circuits, making you feel chronically anxious and afraid, which in turn can lead to the development of dangerous coping mechanisms such as alcohol and drug abuse.
There is little doubt, that alcohol and drug abuse and behavioural addictions such as gambling have increased in the last few years. Irregular weather patterns, climate change anxiety, and the Covid-19 pandemic have a lot to do with that.
You may be wondering what exactly climate change anxiety is. Simply put, it is a sense of fear, worry, or tension linked to climate change. This has led to the term ‘climate change anxiety’ being coined by many talking about the issue of climate change and its effect on our mental health.
Climate change is a component of our reality and there is something to be said too. To start with, increase people’s resilience by getting them involved, and bringing a sense of ‘mission’ so that they can become more inspired to rise to the challenges ahead.
Also, the truth, however, inconvenient, is that both climate change and substance abuse are symptoms of a world where there is a need for people to focus on care—care for those around them, the world around them, and themselves.
For this reason, early intervention by mental health professionals is vital to a person’s recovery and success after an event. Professionals should focus on normalising the reactions, enhancing support, and creating calm environments that foster good sleep and comfort.
Naming the risks of using alcohol and other substances during a disaster is also important in reducing the risk for individuals.
There is also an urgent need to educate people about the potential mental health implications of climate change. With adequate training, healthcare professionals, educators, and other community and religious leaders can help individuals and groups recognise and identify climate change-related stressors in their lives.
There are effective approaches for teaching resiliency and methods for reducing distress and reinforcing feelings of self-efficiency.
Chronic stress during childhood can have long-term health impacts and increase the risk of developing mental health problems in adulthood, so it is especially important that children become familiar with the concept of climate change and all the different ways it can affect them.
Educating people about climate change and mental health helps them formulate approaches for responding to the climate crisis.
Of course, not everyone affected by a natural disaster will have a pathological response. The emotional response is variable and tends to fluctuate over time. For example, there can be initial relief after an event and sometimes symptoms of a disorder don’t appear until a person is triggered by an ‘anniversary’ event.
To end where I started, there is growing evidence of how climate change is affecting our mental health. Countries need to commit politically, financially, and across all sectors to make mental health and climate action a priority. This is the only way to achieve impartiality for all those who are affected.
Substance use prevention advocate. [email protected]
