College Student Faces Emotional Struggles Amid Climate Change Disasters
Lonnie, a college sophomore, was distraught when she visited my office. Her parents’ Florida home had been destroyed by a Category 5 hurricane. Although they had evacuated, they were in severe financial and emotional distress. Lonnie had previously experienced the trauma of evacuating her home in Texas during high school due to a tropical storm, only to return and find it flooded. Facing this second catastrophe, Lonnie hesitated to seek support from her family.
Lonnie was isolated both emotionally and financially. The financial assistance her parents had provided stopped after the storm. She had experienced minor episodes of down mood and anxiety during high school, which subsided when she went to college. However, with this recent loss, she felt overwhelmed, sad, and anxious. Most nights, she had trouble sleeping. Despite trying therapy, she did not find it helpful. I prescribed a medication to treat both her depression and anxiety, and her symptoms lessened within a month.
Lonnie rose to the challenge of staying in school. She worked several hours a week to pay for her education and majored in urban planning, aiming to help cities mitigate heat and floods. She had little time for a social life but did not complain. Eventually, she tapered off her medication once her symptoms had subsided for an extended period. She excelled academically and secured a great job post-graduation.
The Impact of Climate Change and Natural Disasters
As a college psychiatrist for over 30 years, I have seen increasing numbers of students impacted by weather disasters related to climate change. Not all young adults are as resilient as Lonnie. A February NPR report described students leaving college after their families faced financial pain from losing their homes to storms or fires. A study found students whose families resided in zip codes where natural disasters occurred ended up with lower GPAs and greater college debt than their peers. The rates of these natural disasters are rising.
The summer of 2024 is starting with extreme heat in the Northeast and fires in the West. ER visits in the northeast and mid-Atlantic for weather-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion have increased. Heat-related deaths are on the rise. According to NOAA, the period from January through May 2024 was the warmest since records began 175 years ago. A UN report highlights the increase in natural disasters such as floods, storms, and wildfires from 2000-2019, largely due to climate change.
Increasing heat has concerning mental health effects. A large study of the United States and Mexico showed increased rates of suicide and more depressive language in social media posts during warmer months. It is predicted by 2050 there will be an additional 40,000 suicides due to the warming climate. Other studies have documented increases in anxiety and irritability with increasing temperatures, possibly due to sleep difficulties in warm environments.
Steps College Students Can Take to Cope With Climate Change
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- Stay safe during increased heat. Check both temperature and humidity. Stay hydrated and walk in the shade.
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- Be aware of medication impacts on heat regulation. Ask your doctor about your medication’s effects on heat regulation.
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- Seek help for mental health issues. Talk with a therapist about how your life is impacted. Consult a psychiatric provider if experiencing severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, or PTSD.
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- Take positive action. Many students major in environmental sciences or choose careers to address climate change, becoming urban planners or engineers to make their communities safer and more energy-efficient. They join political groups and run for office to make their voices heard.
I recently watched the 2023 series Extrapolations on Apple TV+ for a fictional glimpse of our future in 2037 and beyond in a world of warming temperatures and rising sea levels. The characters face physical and psychological challenges from increasing heat, flooding, and fires. At the same time, they discover new ways to cope and collaborate. It is heartening to see young adults taking action to address these global concerns.
©2024 Marcia Morris, all rights reserved. Details have been altered to protect patient privacy.
Original Story at www.psychologytoday.com