What is geopsychiatry?

Geopsychiatry is a relatively new and exciting field in psychiatry. The discipline studies the interface between geography and psychiatry. The main focus in the field is on the impact and effects due to various factors such as climate change, disasters, globalisation, population growth and movement, urban conglomerations, agricultural production, industrialisation, geopolitics, socio-economic transformations, and cultural practices in the mental health-mental illness processes.

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Opportunities for the Use of Brief Scalable Psychological Interventions to Support Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Context of the Climate Crisis

Climate change is negatively impacting mental health through multiple pathways. Research to date has largely focused on characterising the link between climate change and mental health and no mental health and psychosocial support intervention has been explicitly designed to address the mental health consequences of climate change. In this commentary, we argue that brief, scalable psychological interventions represent an opportunity to fill this gap.

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The Nature Photography Project : A Creative Approach to the Climate and Ecological Emergencies

This is a personal account of conducting a nature-based photography project with British primary school children aged 8–10 years. The purpose of the project was to give children the opportunity to engage in a positive and creative activity that would allow them to share what they cared about in the natural world around them, and discuss what they wanted to protect from the climate and ecological crises. It involved giving children cameras for a half day in an area of natural beauty and encouraging them to photograph whatever they liked.

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Global Mental Health in the Anthropocene : Opening to a Planetary Health Paradigm Shift

Facing the urgent, unchartered and tremendous challenge of the ongoing climate crisis, social and health sciences have a pivotal role to play. Starting from an analysis of the consequences of the climate crisis narrative for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), we explore different roles that the MHPSS actors could play.

 

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Integration of Mental Health into Emergency Preparedness and Response Planning for the Monsoon Season in Bangladesh

The monsoon season in Bangladesh is an example of how climate-related events can have a significant impact on mental wellbeing of affected individuals and communities. In this field report, we reflect on the integration of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services into emergency preparedness efforts.

 

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Addressing Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Context of Climate Change : Examples of Interventions to Inform Future Practice

Climate change is now recognised as contributing to an increasing number of emergencies globally, which are having substantial effects on mental health and wellbeing of affected populations. In this report, we give case studies of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) activities linked to climate change-related emergencies in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe.

 

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Assessment of Perceptions of Climate Change and Its Causes and Impacts on Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing among a Group of Internally Displaced Persons in Iraq

Extreme weather conditions across Iraq influence people’s psychosocial wellbeing, particularly the wellbeing of internally displaced persons (IDPs). This research examines the perceptions of climate change, as well as its causes and impacts on the everyday lives of IDPs in Iraq, and what needs to be done to mitigate these impacts.

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Supporting Adolescent Mental Health in Humanitarian Settings : To What Extent do Interventions Consider Climate Change and Its Intersectional Impacts?

Research suggests that adolescents in humanitarian settings are particularly vulnerable to mental health challenges, but there is less attention to how mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in these settings considers climate-related factors. This article aims to bridge this gap by reviewing studies on the impact of MHPSS interventions in humanitarian settings for adolescents in low- and middle-income countries.

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Priorities for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Intervention Research in the Context of the Climate Crisis : A Modified Delphi Study

The climate crisis is adversely impacting mental health and wellbeing. Research on interventions to address these impacts remains scarce, particularly in humanitarian settings. This study used a modified Delphi process to identify research priorities for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) and climate crisis research, drawing on the perspectives of those with demonstrated interest, engagement, and/or expertise in MHPSS and the climate crisis. The study consisted of two online surveys.

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Azhee : Turning Personal Grief into Collective Action Against Suicide

Suicide is still a taboo issue in Iraqi society. Many in Iraq still feel shame in admitting that they have lost a loved one to suicide for fear of societal stigmatisation. With a lack of understanding about mental illness, it can be even more difficult for professionals to treat mental health issues properly. The cultural norms that stigmatise suicide create obstacles that discourage, or even prevent, many vulnerable people from reaching out for help. While life is full of challenges, suicide prevention is riddled with even more.

 

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