Expressing concern that an estimated 260 million people live with mental health conditions, and over 200,000 people die by suicide annually in the South East Asia region, the WHO on Tuesday called upon the member countries to strengthen mental health systems and services to address this growing challenge that is likely to worsen due to climate change.
“Climate change exacerbates social, environmental, and economic factors that jeopardise mental health, adding further strain to already overburdened health systems,” Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia said while flagging the issue on Monday. However, there is a huge gap in meeting the needs.
She drew attention to a 2021 WHO survey of 95 countries, which said that just 9 had mental health and psychosocial support in their national health and climate change plans. Despite this urgent need, significant gaps remain in both the understanding of these impacts and the availability of mental health services to address them, she added.
A recent report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has revealed that rapidly increasing climate change leads to emotional distress, anxiety, depression, grief, and suicidal behaviour. Among WHO regions, South-East Asia is most vulnerable to this, she added, at a regional workshop for mental health, held in Indonesia, last week.
“An estimated 260 million people live with a mental health condition and more than 200,000 people die by suicide every year,” she said, noting that climate change is worsening mental health.”There is a large gap in both knowledge of and response to, climate change’s impact on mental health…There is an evident need to bring together climate and mental health officials from member states to ensure accelerated action to adapt and mitigate climate change impacts and prevent further widening of this gap,” Wazed added.
To strengthen mental health systems, the Regional Director called for integrating climate change considerations into policies and programmes for mental health.
Wazed also called for addressing the large gaps in funding both for mental health and for responding to the health impacts of climate change.
Dr Jyoti Kapoor, a psychologist and Founder and Director of Manasthali Wellness, welcomed the WHO’s call for action, emphasising its urgency. She noted that recent surveys highlight how climate change and its awareness can lead to severe psychological responses, such as eco-anxiety and climate grief.
Dr Kapoor cited a 2021 survey of 10,000 people aged 16–25 across 10 countries, which revealed that nearly 60 per cent were deeply worried about climate change, with over 45 per cent reporting that this anxiety significantly affected their daily lives, including their work and sleep.
