By Badr Ratnakaran, MBBS
Division Director of Geriatric Psychiatry
Carilion Clinic
Roanoke, VA
Climate change is here upon us and we Virginians cannot turn a blind eye to it anymore. Climate change in Virginia has many consequences including rising seas, saltwater intrusion, heatwaves, worsening air quality, disruption of our ecosystems, rise in zoonotic diseases, and climate change-related disasters including hurricanes and floods.
Climate change has multiple consequences to our physical and mental health. The consequences with mental health in relation to climate change includes worsening depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and cognitive dysfunction. High temperatures have been known to increase suicide rates in our country. The marginalized and the vulnerable, including children, older adults, patients belonging to lower socioeconomic status and racial and ethnic minorities, have been found to suffer the most from the effects of climate change.
Our patients can also have anxiety and worries related climate change (also known as climate anxiety) and what it means to the future of them and their future generations. The changing landscape from climate change can also evoke painful memories and distress, also known as solstalgia, of what their ecological surroundings had been.
As we are heading into the summer, we should become mindful of the adverse effects related to psychotropic medications prescribed by us including renal side effects from lithium and body temperature related side effects from antipsychotics. Based on where we are, and effects of climate change in our geographical location in Virginia, we should educate our patients on the consequences of climate change and their mental health and how to prepare for it.
Organizations like the American Psychiatric Association and the Climate Psychiatry Alliance are useful resources to educate oneself and patients about climate change. As I take over as the Section Editor on Climate Change and Mental Health for the Psychiatric Times, I look forward to your provide your experiences and wisdom on addressing climate change and mental health care of our patients in Virginia.
