Mechelli Andrea, Baecker Lea, Bakolis Ioannis, Stewart Robert, Gasparrini Antonio, Smythe Michael, White Matthew, Bridge Nick
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Health Service and Population Research Department and Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Br J Psychiatry. 2025 Feb;226(2):108-113. doi: 10.1192/bjp.2024.216. Epub 2024 Nov 25.
In the context of climate change, the impacts of extreme weather events are increasingly recognised as a significant threat to mental health in the UK. As clinicians and researchers with an interest in mental health, we have a collective responsibility to help understand and mitigate these impacts. To achieve this, however, it is vital to have an appreciation of the relevant policy and regulatory frameworks. In this feature article, a collaboration amongst mental health and policy experts, we provide an overview of the integration of mental health within current climate policies and regulations in the UK, including gaps and opportunities. We argue that current policy and regulatory frameworks are lacking in coverage, ambition, detail and implementation, as increases in weather extremes and their negative impacts on mental health outpace action. For example, across current national and local climate policies, there is almost no reference to the impacts of extreme weather events on mental health. Whilst alarming, this provides scope for future research to fill evidence gaps and inform policy and regulatory change. We call for mental health and policy experts to work together to improve our understanding of underlying mechanisms and develop practical interventions, helping to bring mental health within climate policy and regulatory frameworks.
在气候变化的背景下，极端天气事件的影响日益被视为对英国心理健康的重大威胁。作为关注心理健康的临床医生和研究人员，我们有共同的责任帮助理解和减轻这些影响。然而，要做到这一点，了解相关的政策和监管框架至关重要。在这篇专题文章中，心理健康和政策专家合作，概述了心理健康在英国当前气候政策和法规中的整合情况，包括差距和机遇。我们认为，当前的政策和监管框架在覆盖范围、目标、细节和实施方面存在不足，因为极端天气事件的增加及其对心理健康的负面影响超过了行动步伐。例如，在当前的国家和地方气候政策中，几乎没有提及极端天气事件对心理健康的影响。虽然令人担忧，但这为未来的研究提供了填补证据空白并为政策和监管变革提供信息的空间。我们呼吁心理健康和政策专家共同努力，增进我们对潜在机制的理解，并制定切实可行的干预措施，帮助将心理健康纳入气候政策和监管框架。
