Pathways between climate change and mental health conditions
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-12)

Concern about climate change and extreme weather events are already contributing to a number of common mental health conditions.

CCHS navigation menu: CCHS homepage (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/the-centre-for-climate-health-security)Topic: health impacts (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/health-impacts) Part of: Climate change and mental health (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/climate-change-and-mental-health)

Key resources for common mental health conditions:

Pathways between climate change and mental health conditions

Overview of the climate change and mental health report (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/overview-of-the-climate-change-and-mental-health-report)

Climate change and mental health report (pdf) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-and-mental-health-report)

Climate change awareness and mental health (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/climate-change-awareness-and-mental-health)

NHS website - mental health (https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/)

Common mental health conditions

Anxiety

It is estimated that 7.5% of adults in England have anxiety (https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/anxiety-fear-panic/), with more women being affected (8.9%) compared to men (5.7%) (1 (#refs)). The number of people experiencing anxiety has increased between 1993 and 2023/24, in both men and women, and across different age groups (1 (#refs)). This increase over time has been steepest for young people aged 16 to 24 years old (1 (#refs)).

Direct exposure to extreme weather events can increase the risk of anxiety. This includes flooding, wildfires, drought and exposure to heat. The National Study of Flooding and Health reported probable anxiety of 11.7% 3 years after a flood event (2 (#refs)).

Eco-anxiety (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/climate-change-awareness-and-mental-health) is the distress and worry which people may feel due to the threat of climate change. Direct experiences of extreme weather events, as well as indirect exposure, can lead people to experience eco-anxiety. Mental health professionals have observed a rise in people reporting experiences of eco-anxiety and young people are thought to be most at risk.

The climate change and mental health report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-and-mental-health-report) found evidence that climate change is contributing to increases in anxiety. In particular, the report notes that:
- people who experience flooding are at risk of anxiety (high confidence)
- an overarching awareness of climate change is negatively impacting mental health and wellbeing contributing to eco-anxiety (moderate confidence)
Depression

It is estimated that 3.8% of adults in England have symptoms of depression (https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/low-mood-sadness-depression/), with more women being affected (4.5%) compared to men (3.1%) (1 (#refs)). Among women, younger age groups are more likely to experience depression, about 7 in 100 women aged 16 to 24 compared to around 2 in 100 women aged 75 and over are affected. For men, there isn’t a clear pattern between age and depression (1 (#refs)).

The report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-and-mental-health-report) outlines evidence that climate change is contributing to increases in depression. In particular, the confidence assessment notes:
- the risk of depression increases following flooding events (high confidence)
- the risk of depression increases following wildfire events (moderate confidence)
- an awareness of climate change negatively impacts mental health and wellbeing and contributes to eco-anxiety and solastalgia, which in turn can be predictive of negative mental health conditions including anxiety and depression (moderate confidence)
Research has highlighted that psychological interventions, including cognitive behavioural therapy (https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt/), acceptance and commitment therapy (https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/therapy-types/acceptance-and-commitment-therapy) and dynamic psychotherapy, have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing depression symptoms following extreme weather events. In addition digital interventions, such as web-based and app-based approaches, and community group based interventions led by trained lay people have shown potential in reducing depression, especially in rural and disaster-affected communities.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

It is estimated that 5.7% of adults in England have symptoms of PTSD (https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/), with more women being affected (6.1%) compared to men (5.0%) (1 (#refs)). Younger adults have a higher prevalence than older age groups. There are strong links between PTSD and socioeconomic disadvantage, including problem debt and unemployment (1 (#refs)).

The report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-and-mental-health-report) outlines evidence that climate change is contributing to increases in PTSD. In particular, the confidence assessment notes that:
- exposure to flooding events increases the risk of PTSD (high confidence)
- firefighters experience negative mental health impacts following wildfire events that can persist or even become more prevalent in the years after the wildfire itself (high confidence)
- those who experience wildfire events as well as other frontline responders have an increased risk of PTSD (moderate confidence)
PTSD symptoms can occur following indirect exposures. For example, there is some evidence that tourists who witness climate disasters abroad can develop PTSD symptoms (3 (#refs)).

Research has highlighted that psychological interventions, including cognitive behavioural therapy (https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt/) (online or trauma-focused) and dynamic psychotherapy have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing PTSD symptoms following extreme weather events. Digital interventions, including web-, app- and text-based tools, have also demonstrated evidence in reducing PTSD and improving wellbeing.

Mental health support options

If you experience or witness a mental health emergency, call 999 or go to A&E immediately.

For urgent, non-emergency assistance use NHS 111 online (https://111.nhs.uk/triage/check-your-mental-health-symptoms) or call 111 and select the mental health option.

If you do not require support but are concerned about your mental health, contact your GP.

For non-urgent support (if you live in England and are registered with a GP):
- refer yourself for free to NHS talking therapies (https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/)
- call the Samaritans on 116 123 or text “SHOUT” to 85258
- call Papyrus’s HOPELINE247 on xx-xxxx-xxxx or text xx-xxxx-xxxx (if you are under 35 and need crisis support)
- call Childline on 0800 1111 if you are a child under 19
References

Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2023/4 (https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/adult-psychiatric-morbidity-survey/survey-of-mental-health-and-wellbeing-england-2023-24/common-mental-health-conditions) (viewed 12 August 2025)

Mulchandani R, and others. ‘The English National Cohort Study of Flooding and Health: psychological morbidity at three years of follow up (https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-8424-3)’ BMC Public Health 2020: volume 20

Walinski A (2023). ‘The effects of climate change on mental health (https://di.aerzteblatt.de/int/archive/article/229918)’ Deutsches Arzteblatt International: volume 120, pages 117 to 124