Can high temperatures and humidity affect mental health?

climate change was described by a commission of The Lancet and the University College of London as the greatest potential global health threat of the 21st century, with expected negative effects on Mental Health, Besides the consequences on the physical health.

The study examined the effect of heat, there humidity and the floods and the matching rates of depression there anxiety In Bangladesh, he seventh most vulnerable country of the world to climate change. It is estimated that 4.4% of people worldwide suffer from depression. In Bangladesh, this figure is considerably higher at 16.3%.

Anxiety levels in the country were also higher (6%) than in the rest of the world (3.6%). The researchers said the study results could be used to reduce the wider effect of climate change on mental health.

“As climate change worsens, temperatures and humidity will continue to rise, as will natural disasters such as extreme flooding, which portend an ever-increasing impact on our collective mental health globally.” said the study’s lead author, Syed Shabab Wahid. , Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Health at the College of Health in Georgetown University.

The study measured climate variables in 43 weather stations in Bangladesh researching seasonal changes in temperature and humidity, as well as identifying where people have been exposed to flooding. Two surveys were then conducted in rural and urban settings to assess depression and anxiety in adults. These measurements revealed that heat, humidity and weather-related events had a alarming effect on the mental health of the respondents.

People who experienced temperatures one degree Celsius higher were 21% more likely to have an anxiety disorder. They were also 24% more likely to experience depression and anxiety together.

Research has also found a link between increased humidity in the air and a greater likelihood that participants reported depression and anxiety. Exposure to worsening flooding linked to climate change has increased the risks of poor mental health. Depression increased by 31%, anxiety by 69% and the presence of both conditions by 87%.

Researchers say the study isn’t enough to see the impact of major climate change, but it does show how even small weather changes linked to climate change can affect mental health. Wahid said they now plan to conduct further surveys in Bangladesh and move them to other places on the planet try to work on cause reduction and the effects of climate change on mental health”.

The study authors noted that the findings are particularly concerning for countries where people are exposed to heat through work or daily activities. Women, the elderly and people with disabilities were detected as particularly vulnerable the impacts of climate change on mental health. “This should serve as warning to other nations Wahid concluded.