Short-term exposure to temperature and mental health in North Carolina: a distributed lag nonlinear analysis

Global climate change: Effects of future temperatures on emergency department visits for mental disorders in Beijing, China

Rising temperatures can increase the risk of mental disorders. As climate change intensifies, the future disease burden due to mental disorders may be underestimated. Using data on the number of daily emergency department visits for mental disorders at 30 hospitals in Beijing, China during 2016-2018, the relationship between daily mean temperature and such visits was assessed using a quasi-Poisson model integrated with a distributed lag nonlinear model. Emergency department visits for mental disorders attributed to temperature changes were projected using 26 general circulation models under four climate change scenarios. Stratification analyses were then conducted by disease subtype, sex, and age. The results indicate that the temperature-related health burden from mental disorders was projected to increase consistently throughout the 21st century, mainly driven by high temperatures. The future temperature-related health burden was higher for patients with mental disorders due to the use of psychoactive substances and schizophrenia as well as for women and those aged <65 years. These findings enhance our knowledge of how climate change could affect mental well-being and can be used to advance and refine targeted approaches to mitigating and adapting to climate change with a view on addressing mental disorders.

Residential greenness for mitigating impacts of extreme heat events on depression and supporting mental health

Background

Residential green spaces (RGS) are a crucial aspect of urban life, which provide residents with a positive living environment both for mental and physical well-being. However, extreme heat events caused by global warming and local urban heat island effects are threatening the public health of rapidly growing populations. This is especially true for mental health. Depression is a mental illness that can be impacted by extreme heat events, i.e., heatwaves.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the potential for residential green spaces (RGS) to alleviate depression by reducing heat stress sensitivity during extreme heat events.

Methods

We conducted a literature review using scientometric analysis with CiteSpace to summarize existing research on the relationships between RGS, depression, and heatwaves. We proposed a conceptual framework for the relationship between RGS and depression, and that extreme heat events may be an important contributor to depression.

Results

Our review found that RGS can provide ecosystem services that lower ambient temperatures through evaporative cooling, radiation reflection, humidity regulation, and shading. Different types of RGS, i.e., small green spaces, green roofs, green walls, and street trees, have varying cooling capacities. The mechanisms by which RGS alleviate depression during heatwaves involve green space composition, exposure, physical activity, social contacts, and cohesion. And we proposed a conceptual framework for the relationship between RGS and depression, and that extreme heat events may be an important contributor to depression.

Conclusion

We present a multidimensional RGS evaluation roadmap to inform green space design for reducing depression during heatwaves. Establishing RGS multidimensional evaluation can guide future research on leveraging RGS to build resilience against extreme heat and improve public mental health.

Climate attribution of interpersonal violence: International evidence

Anthropogenic climate change is increasingly threatening interpersonal violence, yet global evidence for related impacts and potential transmission mechanisms remains limited. We examine whether and how climate change, particularly climate extremes, affects interpersonal violence. Using the panel data of 140 countries and regions from 2000 to 2019, we find that hot and wet extremes precipitated increase in homicide rates globally. Economic level, inequality, and resources scarcity were important intermediaries through which climate extremes affected homicide, while the direct effects still dominated the total effects. We then reveal the heterogeneous effects of climate extremes, further suggesting that poor countries and regions with relatively small contributions to climate change were particularly sensitive to climate extremes. These findings elucidate a strong climate-violence link, helping explain implications of facilitating violence prevention and mitigating climate change.