Converging data would indicate the existence of possible relationships between climate change, environmental pollution, and epidemics/pandemics, such as the current one due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Each of these phenomena has been supposed to provoke detrimental effects on mental health. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to review the available scientific literature on these variables in order to suggest and comment on their eventual synergistic effects on mental health. The available literature reports that climate change, air pollution, and the COVID-19 pandemic might influence mental health, with disturbances ranging from mild negative emotional responses to full-blown psychiatric conditions, specifically, anxiety and depression, stress/trauma-related disorders, and substance abuse. The most vulnerable groups include the elderly, children, women, people with pre-existing health problems especially mental illnesses, subjects taking some types of medication including psychotropic drugs, individuals with low socioeconomic status, and immigrants. It is evident that the COVID-19 pandemic uncovers all the fragility and weakness of our ecosystem, and our inability to protect ourselves from pollutants. Again, it underlines our faults and neglect towards disasters deriving from climate change or pollution, or the consequences of human activities irrespective of natural habitats and constantly increasing the probability of spillover of viruses from animals to humans.
Climate Change, Environment Pollution, COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health
Year: 2021
