Study finds link between climate change and mental health
New data has found that climate change and extreme weather events can directly impact a person’s mental health.
According to a study from the Imperial College of London, there is a distinct relationship between increased temperatures and suicides with data showing a one per cent increase in the number of suicides for each temperature increase of 1°C.
“It really just shows there’s a direct correlation between natural disasters, climate change and mental health,” said Matt Friesen with Western Financial Group.
Friesen noted this correlation has to do with “eco-anxiety,” which leaves people worried about flooding, wildfires, evacuations and the consequences of natural disasters.
“Those are the types of things that are getting people distressed, like is this our norm now? Is that what we’re always going to experience?” he said.
More people seeking help
Friesen said that since 2019 more people are seeking help for their mental health.
He noted that in 2022 Canadian life and health insurers paid out about $650 million for mental health support-related claims – double the amount in 2019.
“More and more of our employers are facing that pressure from their employees to offer [mental health support],” he said, “Because unlike basic health coverage, to go see a psychologist or employee assistance program or talk to someone, isn’t free. It’s quite expensive actually.”
On the bright side, Friesen added that more employers are offering mental health coverage as more people seek them out.
- With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagace.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
16-year-old boy fatally shot outside Scarborough plaza identified
Police have identified a teenage boy who was fatally shot in Scarborough’s L’Amoreaux neighbourhood on Saturday afternoon.
Joe Alwyn says breakup with Taylor Swift was 'a hard thing to navigate'
Joe Alwyn is speaking publicly for the first time about the end of his years-long relationship with Taylor Swift.
Ottawa Food Bank receives largest donation in its 40-year history
210,000 pounds of food was delivered to the Ottawa Food Bank on Saturday, the largest donation in its 40-year history.
Ontario Northland bus fire closes part of Highway 400
Part of Highway 400 was closed on Sunday after an Ontario Northland bus caught on fire.
Your father’s diet before you were born could have affected your health, a new study suggests
Your father's diet before you were born could have played a role in your health, a new study has found.
Prince William shares childhood photo of him and King Charles III for Father's Day
Prince William on Sunday shared a photograph showing him as a child with his father, King Charles III, to mark Father’s Day in the United Kingdom this year.
Singh 'more alarmed' after reading report, but won't break from Liberal-NDP agreement
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he is 'even more alarmed than before' after reading the un-redacted report alleging there are MPs and senators who are participating to some degree in foreign interference efforts.
Global study ranks two Canadian cities high on list of most expensive places to buy a home
As Canadians continue to struggle with the extremely high cost of buying a home in some of the country’s major urban centres, a new global report is underscoring just how expensive some of those markets are.
'We're in pretty good shape': Calgary goes low in water consumption after state of local emergency declared
On a day that a local state of emergency was declared in Calgary, city residents answered a request from the mayor and emergency officials to use less water.