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© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Climate Change (CC) imposes important global health risks, including on mental health (MH). They are related mostly to psychological suffering caused by climate-related events and to the heat-vulnerability caused by psychiatric disorders. This growing burden may press MH services worldwide, increasing demand on public and private systems in low-, middle-, and high-income countries. According to PRISMA, two independent reviewers searched four databases for papers published before May 2022 that associated climate-related events with healthcare demand for psychiatric conditions. Of the 7432 papers retrieved, we included 105. Only 29 were carried out in low- and middle-income countries. Twelve related the admission numbers to (i) extreme events, while 93 to (ii) meteorological factors—mostly heat. Emergency visits and hospitalizations were significantly higher during hot periods for MH disorders, especially until lag 5–7. Extreme events also caused more consultations. Suicide (completed or attempted), substance misuse, schizophrenia, mood, organic and neurotic disorders, and mortality were strongly affected by CC. This high healthcare demand is evidence of the burden patients may undergo. In addition, public and private services may face a shortage of financial and human resources. Finally, the increased use of healthcare facilities, in turn, intensifies greenhouse gas emissions, representing a self-enforcing cycle for CC. Further research is needed to better clarify how extreme events affect MH services and, in addition, if services in low- and middle-income countries are more intensely demanded by CC, as compared to richer countries.

Details

Title
A Systematic Literature Review of the Impact of Climate Change on the Global Demand for Psychiatric Services
Author
Corvetto, Julia Feriato 1 ; Ammir Yacoub Helou 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Dambach, Peter 1 ; Müller, Thomas 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Sauerborn, Rainer 1 

 Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany 
 Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-900, Brazil 
 Private Clinic Meiringen, 3860 Meiringen, Switzerland; Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, 3000 Bern, Switzerland 
First page
1190
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
MDPI AG
ISSN
1661-7827
e-ISSN
1660-4601
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2767227018
Copyright
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.