The study showed the relationship between the number of suicides and the increase in humidity on the planet led to an increase in the number of suicides. This is indicated by a study by the University of Sussex in the UK, published in the scientific journal Nature Portfolio.
Periods of high humidity, according to scientists, had the greatest impact on women and young people. Study co-author Dr. Sonia Ayeb-Karlsson, in an interview with The Guardian, explained that humidity negatively affects the body's ability to regulate its temperature.
Antidepressants taken by people with mental illness also exacerbate the negative effects of high humidity. “When it comes to mental health, there are quite a few links [with periods of high humidity]. Anxiety arises, it is difficult to fall asleep, it becomes unbearable. Sleep deprivation is another huge problem. Difficulty sleeping when it's hot. It's even harder when it's wet, ”she pointed out. Ayeb-Karlsson also noted that the study on the relationship between the number of suicides and climate change was conducted for the first time at the global level.
The scientific publication contains information on 60 countries from 1979 to 2016. It contains countries with hot climates, such as Thailand and Guyana, and European countries that are less accustomed to high temperatures and humidity: Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg. The study also notes that more than 700,000 suicides are committed every year around the world.
The deterioration in the mental health of people around the world has previously been associated with cyclones, wildfires, floods and other consequences of climate change. According to a survey by the American Psychiatric Association, the majority of US adults said they were concerned about the impact of the climate crisis on their mental health. Experts point out that people face mental stress even in their daily activities. Stress can arise from worries about the fact that people have not yet gotten off the habit of eating red meat or have not stopped driving a car with an internal combustion engine, which is harmful to the environment.