Mental health
Mental health is deeply influenced by climatic factors. It is now apparent that extreme climatic events can cause significant psychological stress with long-lasting effects on anxiety levels and depression. There would be more devastating permanent mental health impact on the survivors like a child. UNFCCC 4th report on global warming stated that there is a direct association between the presence of major mental illness like acute psychosis and schizophrenia in tropical countries. Extreme climate change events like heat stoke which manifest as delirium and other neuro-psychiatric syndromes characterized by altered consciousness to agitation, restlessness, unconsciousness and even death. Major population displacement after an extreme climatic event would cause social disruption, unemployment, social conflicts, mental unrest and economic burden and uncertainty as we see in Haiti following a massive earthquake. All these factors are associated with increased prevalence of mental disorders like anxiety, depression and stress disorders. Besides, increase salinity of water in the coastal area would hamper food production which results in malnutrition and child developmental disorders. Natural disasters have shown to result in increased domestic violence due to frustration and anger. Flood and drought cause food scarcity, hunger and malnutrition. Drought contributes to mental agony and depression among farmers due to financial hardship which increases suicide rate among them. According to DoE, the annual incidence of mental disorder was 22431 per year which was higher than that of Dengue (3305 per year).
Awareness needs to be increased among illiterate and poor people, especially along the drier western parts of the country, to combat heat-stress related health disorders. Universal accessibility to and equity in health care to the rural population, government's financial allocation for health, community based health services, privatisation of medical care etc. are some adaptive measures to mental health.
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