Austrian Society of Psychiatry sees direct link between global warming, suicide rates

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) - An Austrian mental health clinic is drawing attention Wednesday to the fact that global warming directly affects mental health.

“Current data shows a direct link between suicidal tendencies and rising temperatures. A rise of just one degree correlates with a significant increase in suicidal behavior,” the Austrian Society for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics (OGPP) said in a statement.

The OGPP sees a connection between heatwaves that have occurred more frequently in recent years and mental health.

Data collected shows that there is an increase in visits to psychiatric facilities or inpatient admissions during periods of heat, it said.

Physiological reactions of the body can lead to a change in serotonin levels, according to the group. A lack of sleep, in turn, has a direct effect on cognitive functions.

It said social consequences due to climate change are also relevant. The OGPP cites increased aggression or increased alcohol consumption due to economic stress factors, as examples.

“We not only need a health policy framework that directly takes into account the effects of climate change on our mental health, but above all we must actively protect particularly vulnerable groups in our society,” OGPP President Martin Aigner said in the statement.

To find adequate answers to the new social changes, the 24th annual conference of the OGPP will take place in Vienna from April 24 - 27.

More than 600 psychiatrists from Austria will discuss appropriate medical and health care strategies for overcoming future challenges in the health care sector.