Strategies for Delivering Mental Health Services in Response to Global Climate Change: A Narrative Review

Lawrence A. Palinkas, Meaghan L. O’Donnell, Winnie Lau and Marleen Wong
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Lawrence A. Palinkas: Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0411, USA
Meaghan L. O’Donnell: Phoenix Australia Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health and Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia
Winnie Lau: Phoenix Australia Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health and Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia
Marleen Wong: Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0411, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 22, 1-19

Abstract: This narrative review examined strategies for preparedness and response to mental health impacts of three forms of climate change from a services perspective: (1) acute and extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, (2) sub-acute or long-term events such as droughts and heatwaves; and (3) the prospect of long-term and permanent changes, including higher temperatures, rising sea levels, and an uninhabitable physical environment. Strategies for acute events included development and implementation of programs and practices for monitoring and treating mental health problems and strengthening individual and community resilience, training of community health workers to deliver services, and conducting inventories of available resources and assessments of at-risk populations. Additional strategies for sub-acute changes included advocacy for mitigation policies and programs and adaptation of guidelines and interventions to address the secondary impacts of sub-acute events, such as threats to livelihood, health and well-being, population displacement, environmental degradation, and civil conflict. Strategies for long-lasting changes included the implementation of evidence-based risk communication interventions that address the existing and potential threat of climate change, promoting the mental health benefits of environmental conservation, and promoting psychological growth and resilience.

Keywords: mental health services; climate change; disasters; trauma; prevention; treatment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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