How to treat mental health impacts of climate change

Climate change can affect mental health with extreme weather events causing trauma, anxiety, depression, and PTSD, but individuals and communities can cope by taking proactive actions and collective efforts

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OLASTALGIA is a condition that negatively affects our mind when we witness degradation in our home environment, affecting our sense of belonging to a particular place. The word is not very common right now but as climate change becomes worse, the incidence of solastalgia is going to become more prevalent in the coming years.

Climate change is no more a threat but a reality which is impacting every living creature on the planet. While there are debates and discussions on how it is impacting the environment, economy and sea level, but in the future the attention is set to increase on its impact on our mental health as well.

From people living in hilly areas experiencing heat waves to people living in coastal areas experiencing effects of rising sea levels to increased levels of pollution, all of them are susceptible to this condition.

The severity of the issue can be gauged from what Dr N K Venkataramana, Founder-Chairman of Brains Super Speciality Hospital, Bengaluru, has to say, "Pollution and air pollutants can also exacerbate conditions like Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's, especially dementia. Therefore, it is crucial that we maintain both our natural environment and our surroundings in a more hygienic and clean manner."