Medical Minute: Climate Change And Mental Health

With the seasons starting to transition, the weather that follows is a mix of different types of weather that can make us feel a bunch of emotions.

Scientists and medical professionals believe that climate change can have a direct effect on mental health, making us feel a wave of different feelings during the various weather seasons.

On today's Medical Minute, we are learning more about the correlation between climate change and mental health, as the two are unexpectedly related in some cases.

Jordan Ansberry, a photographer, shared her thoughts on the subject by describing what she feels to be a "stressful" experience.

"It's stressful because it's like what is this going to look like in 10 or 20 years. If I want to have kids one day, what are they going to go through," Ansberry said.

A recent study conducted by the American Psychiatric Association found that 53% of people have had mental health issues due to climate change, with the previous year being 48%.

Doctor Joshua Wortzel, who specializes in mental health studies, explained why people are getting worried and stressed about climate change.

"Individuals are worried about climate change and that's what we think the most about is how it effects mental health, but it also effects us in a number of other ways. There are direct impacts of heat on the brain, the rate of suicides and violent crimes go up during heat waves. There are also trauma effects from natural disasters from climate change, which makes us distressed because of what we see in the world around us," Wortzel said.