Project start: 2024

Project end: 2026

Project executing organization: Chair of Regional Climate Change and Health

Project responsibility on site: Karolin Rückle MSc., Prof. Dr. Elke Hertig

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In addition to physical consequences for health, climate change also has mental effects and consequences for human well-being. The mental effects of climate change range from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stress-related illnesses, depression and anxiety disorders to cognitive impairments, behavioural problems (e.g. ADHD) and adaptation disorders. Triggers can be extreme events such as floods and wildfires, but also atmospheric influences such as heat and air pollution. Other meteorological variables such as air pressure, precipitation, radiation and wind can also influence the psyche. It can be assumed that healthy people are more mentally resilient to climate change than people with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, recurrent depression or mania.

The aim of this project is to investigate short-term weather and medium-term weather influences (mean conditions, variability and extreme values) on the quality of life and symptoms of people with affective and psychotic disorders (e.g. bipolar disorder, schizophrenia). For this purpose, health data from the PsyCourse study from 19 locations in Germany and Austria are used and correlated with meteorological ERA5 and air hygiene CAMS reanalysis data. Regression analyses (GLM/GAM) will be used to investigate how changes in quality of life and disease symptoms are related to fluctuations and changes in atmospheric parameters.

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Consortium partners:

• Dr. Sophie-Kathrin Greiner, Clinic for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics at the University of Augsburg
• Dr. Fanny Senner, Clinic for Psychiatry und Psychotherapy at the LMU Munich