Researchers from the United Kingdom and Bangladesh have examined all available tested interventions globally that aim to support people whose mental health has been severely affected by extreme weather events linked to climate change.
This study and its findings highlight the theme of this year鈥檚 World Mental Health Day on October 10 titled Access to Services: Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies, said a press release.
The study found a lack of available interventions to support the mental health of those affected by extreme weather events linked to climate change in low- and middle-income countries, those most in need of mental health support for people struggling with the effects of climate change-related natural disasters.
The researchers reviewed 26 studies reporting different types of mental health interventions, including one on the overall impact of climate change, 11 on storms, nine on flooding, and five on wildfires.
These studies demonstrated the effectiveness of the interventions in improving mental health outcomes.
Among the 26 included studies, only 6 studies were from 5 LMICs, including one study conducted in Bangladesh, flood-related community support, which highlights the need to co-develop or adapt interventions for LMICs and test and implement those interventions.
Most of the identified interventions were conducted in high-income countries, targeted individuals, and were delivered by specialists or non-specialists, mostly using various forms of cognitive behavioural therapy, including face-to-face sessions, online platforms and mobile text messaging.
Although WHO鈥檚 Inter-agency Standing Committee in their mental health and psychosocial support interventions pyramid emphasised the need for interventions across all four layers of the pyramid, the study found limited evidence on interventions that focused on community and family support or basic services for those exposed to extreme weather events.
The researchers, including lead researcher Dr Masuma Mishu, Dr Golam Rabbani and Professor Rumana Huque, recommended that there was a need for coordinated interventions that targeted not only individual-level specialised and non-specialised services but also involved community and family support and strengthened basic services for those exposed to climate change-related extreme weather events, especially in LMICs.
Multi-sectorial coordinated interventions are needed, targeting the individual, community support and basic services at the system level, tailored to the specific nature of extreme weather events, their impacts, and the needs and circumstances of affected populations, they said.
