The role of mental health professionals in the climate crisis: an urgent call to action

The climate and ecological crisis will constitute the defining public health challenge of the twenty-first century, posing an unprecedented global threat to all determinants of health, and to healthcare delivery systems. We believe that mental health professionals have a crucial role to play in resp...

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Main Authors: Ching, Li, Lawrence, Emma L., Morgan, Gareth, Brown, Richard, Greaves, Natalie, Krzanowski, Jacob, Samuel, Sophie, Guinto, Renzo R *, Belkin, Gary
Format: Article
Published: Taylor and Francis Group 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/2210/
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author Ching, Li
Lawrence, Emma L.
Morgan, Gareth
Brown, Richard
Greaves, Natalie
Krzanowski, Jacob
Samuel, Sophie
Guinto, Renzo R *
Belkin, Gary
author_facet Ching, Li
Lawrence, Emma L.
Morgan, Gareth
Brown, Richard
Greaves, Natalie
Krzanowski, Jacob
Samuel, Sophie
Guinto, Renzo R *
Belkin, Gary
author_sort Ching, Li
building SU Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The climate and ecological crisis will constitute the defining public health challenge of the twenty-first century, posing an unprecedented global threat to all determinants of health, and to healthcare delivery systems. We believe that mental health professionals have a crucial role to play in responding to this crisis. Whilst responding to the mental health consequences of the climate crisis will remain a key role for us as mental health professionals, we argue that our remit goes beyond this, and should include advancing public understanding of the climate crisis, highlighting its impact on physical and mental wellbeing, and advocating for systemic changes to limit its impending harms. This paper is an urgent call to action for all mental health professionals to take up a role in the context of the climate and ecological crisis. This paper will describe the relationship between mental health and climate change, and frame it within wider systemic and conceptual frameworks. It will demonstrate that as mental health professionals we are well placed to act as leaders of change—arguing that we have a duty to do so—and suggest actions that can be implemented depending on interests, skill sets and opportunities.
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spelling sunway-22102023-05-17T23:54:26Z http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/2210/ The role of mental health professionals in the climate crisis: an urgent call to action Ching, Li Lawrence, Emma L. Morgan, Gareth Brown, Richard Greaves, Natalie Krzanowski, Jacob Samuel, Sophie Guinto, Renzo R * Belkin, Gary BF Psychology RA Public aspects of medicine The climate and ecological crisis will constitute the defining public health challenge of the twenty-first century, posing an unprecedented global threat to all determinants of health, and to healthcare delivery systems. We believe that mental health professionals have a crucial role to play in responding to this crisis. Whilst responding to the mental health consequences of the climate crisis will remain a key role for us as mental health professionals, we argue that our remit goes beyond this, and should include advancing public understanding of the climate crisis, highlighting its impact on physical and mental wellbeing, and advocating for systemic changes to limit its impending harms. This paper is an urgent call to action for all mental health professionals to take up a role in the context of the climate and ecological crisis. This paper will describe the relationship between mental health and climate change, and frame it within wider systemic and conceptual frameworks. It will demonstrate that as mental health professionals we are well placed to act as leaders of change—arguing that we have a duty to do so—and suggest actions that can be implemented depending on interests, skill sets and opportunities. Taylor and Francis Group 2022 Article PeerReviewed Ching, Li and Lawrence, Emma L. and Morgan, Gareth and Brown, Richard and Greaves, Natalie and Krzanowski, Jacob and Samuel, Sophie and Guinto, Renzo R * and Belkin, Gary (2022) The role of mental health professionals in the climate crisis: an urgent call to action. International Review of Psychiatry, 34 (5). pp. 563-570. ISSN 1369-1627 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09540261.2022.2097005 10.1080/09540261.2022.2097005
spellingShingle BF Psychology
RA Public aspects of medicine
Ching, Li
Lawrence, Emma L.
Morgan, Gareth
Brown, Richard
Greaves, Natalie
Krzanowski, Jacob
Samuel, Sophie
Guinto, Renzo R *
Belkin, Gary
The role of mental health professionals in the climate crisis: an urgent call to action
title The role of mental health professionals in the climate crisis: an urgent call to action
title_full The role of mental health professionals in the climate crisis: an urgent call to action
title_fullStr The role of mental health professionals in the climate crisis: an urgent call to action
title_full_unstemmed The role of mental health professionals in the climate crisis: an urgent call to action
title_short The role of mental health professionals in the climate crisis: an urgent call to action
title_sort role of mental health professionals in the climate crisis: an urgent call to action
topic BF Psychology
RA Public aspects of medicine
url http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/2210/
http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/2210/
http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/2210/