NEW POLLING by the Climate Council, supported by Beyond Blue, has revealed the profound impact more frequent and intense disasters are having on the mental health of Australians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The survey of 2,032 Australians <\/a>found that since 2019, the majority (80%) reported they had experienced, at least once, heatwaves (63%), flooding (47%), bushfires (42%), droughts (36%), cyclones or destructive storms (29%) or landslides (8%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Half of Australians said their mental health had been detrimentally affected by the extreme weather event they experienced and one in five reported a major or moderate impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A follow-up community-level survey with people who had experienced a disaster found the most common mental health symptoms were anxiety, followed by symptoms of depression and PTSD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than one-third of survey participants (37%) said there was too little mental health support available to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Climate Councillor, climate scientist at the Australian National University and author of Humanity\u2019s Moment: a Climate Scientist\u2019s Case for Hope<\/em>, Dr Joelle Gergis<\/strong> said: \u201cThe results of this poll are confronting. It\u2019s heartbreaking to realise that many Australians are living with significant levels of distress related to the reality of our changing climate. It shines a light on this invisible mental health crisis that is undermining the stability of our local communities all over the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe need to have a national conversation about climate change adaptation and listen to the experiences of people who have lived through these disasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExtreme weather events are going to escalate as our planet continues to warm, so the impacts we have witnessed in recent years are really just the tip of the iceberg. We urgently need to develop plans that protect and support our local communities as climate change-fuelled disasters continue to upend the lives of countless Australians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond Blue\u2019s Lead Clinical Advisor A\/Prof Grant Blashki <\/strong>– who supported development of the mental health-related survey questions – added: \u201cIt\u2019s clear that climate change is not just a physical threat, but a mental health threat as well. And yet, despite the high levels of need, many people affected by climate disasters find it difficult to access the mental health assistance they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe must strengthen our mental health systems to cope with the demands of these extreme weather events. This involves the whole system approach rather than piecemeal band-aid approaches during a crisis. We need to prepare the mental health system for early support of those affected, and co-opt a more diverse workforce, from local mental health first aid all the way through to highly specialised mental health care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBy acknowledging and addressing the mental health impacts of climate change, we can build stronger and more resilient communities, better able to weather the storms \u2013 both literal and figurative \u2013 that lie ahead. It’s time to put the mental well-being of our communities front and centre as we respond to the public health challenges of climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A\/Prof Grant Blashki <\/strong>added: \u201cWe wanted to better understand people\u2019s personal experience of disasters and undertook a separate in-depth survey of almost 500 people who had been caught up in extreme weather events since 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s as much about broken spirits as damaged buildings. People say they have been left feeling helpless, have experienced symptoms of anxiety and depression, trouble sleeping, and have children who worry when it rains, or the wind picks up. It\u2019s important we get on top of these issues early and get people the appropriate support at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For support please contact Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36 or explore the Phoenix Australia\u2019s Disaster Mental Health Hub<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>online<\/em><\/strong><\/a> with some excellent resources or check in with your GP or local mental health services.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n ****<\/p>\n\n\n\n About the research<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The National survey data comes from a National YouGov Poll conducted from 2-16 December 2022. The sample covered Australians aged over 18 including representatives of different genders, generations, geographies (states, city\/rural, etc.), education levels, income levels, voting habits, and other characteristics.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n From 1-16 December, in parallel with the national survey, the Climate Council and Beyond Blue invited Australians to share their experiences of climate-fuelled disasters with a Community Survey. This was by way of an online qualitative survey, advertised through the Climate Council and Beyond Blue respective networks.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NEW POLLING by the Climate Council, supported by Beyond Blue, has revealed the profound impact more frequent and intense disasters are having on the mental health of Australians. The survey of 2,032 Australians found that since 2019, the majority (80%) reported they had experienced, at least once, heatwaves (63%), flooding (47%), bushfires (42%), droughts (36%), cyclones or … Continue reading “Hidden mental health toll of worsening climate disasters on Australians revealed with new national poll\u00a0“<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aussie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19834"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19835,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19834\/revisions\/19835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}