Emotional thermometers: the impact of climate change on mental health
Keywords:
Climate Change, Mental Health, Anxiety, Seasonal Affective Disorder, HypothalamusAbstract
The ability of climate to affect physical health and mental well-being is increasingly recognized. Objective: to analyze the causes of climate change impacts on mental health and describe their main effects. Method: narrative literature review in scientific databases (PubMed, SciELO, PAHO/WHO) up to 2024. Development: extreme temperatures alter hypothalamic function, affecting sleep, mood, and cognitive capacity. Heat demands increased hypothalamic activity and can block thermoregulation; cold increases energy consumption and activates shivering responses. The central paradigm is major depressive disorder with seasonal pattern (seasonal affective disorder), which can lead to suicide and violence. Eco-anxiety (chronic fear of environmental catastrophe) and solastalgia (distress from degradation of one's own environment) are described as emerging manifestations. High temperatures are linearly associated with increased psychiatric hospitalizations and suicide attempts. Conclusions: the biological bases of mental health depend on adaptation to temperature variations through the hypothalamus. Local alternatives such as environmental management, collective activities in contact with nature, and the establishment of community alliances are proposed.
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References
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