Climate Change: Aggression, Self Injury and Suicide

Hasan Can ÖZBAYa , Sezayi ATABEYb

aİsmail Fehmi Cumalıoğlu City Hospital, Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Tekirdağ, Türkiye
bAydın Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aydın, Türkiye

ABSTRACT
The World Health Organization has defined climate change as the greatest challenge of the 21st century, threatening all aspects of our society, and declared it a global public health emergency. Studies examining the impacts of climate change on mental health indicate profound effects, particularly on vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and individuals with mental illnesses. In the literature, it is evident that increased average temperatures during summer exacerbate existing mental health disorders, reduce the efficacy of certain psychotropic medications, and increase symptoms such as suicide, aggression, and self-injury behaviors. Children and adolescents are more susceptible to the effects of climate change due to their developmental vulnerability, leading to cumulative mental health impacts over their lifetimes. Therefore, it is imperative to develop policies within the framework of preventive mental health and implement appropriate precautions to protect all children and young people from the adverse effects of climate change.
Keywords: Suicide; self-injury behavior; druought; adolescent; child; climate change

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