Dear colleagues,

The increasing frequency of extreme weather events, droughts, heatwaves, and other climate-related disasters due to human-induced climate change has significant consequences for human health, including mental health, such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.

While the field of climate and health research is rapidly growing, the Word Health Organization (WHO) provided an overview of the current state of knowledge on climate change and health, and found a lack of scientific articles focusing specifically on mental health.

This special issue, titled "Impact of Climate and Natural Environment Changes on Mental Health" is in line with the WHO’s five research priorities and aims to accelerate research in these areas. It will discuss the latest research, advances, and challenges related to the impact of climate and natural environment changes on mental health. The aim is to contribute to the scientific understanding, stimulate scientific debate, contribute to the development of effective strategies to address mental health problems and guide decision-making processes across different sectors to promote health and mitigate the adverse effects of climate and environmental change.

The special issue invites contributions in the form of review articles and original research articles. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

 1. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health consequences among survivors of natural disasters;

2. The association between climate change and increased rates of depression and anxiety;

3. The impact of rising temperatures on aggression and violent behavior;

4. The mental health implications of job loss, forced migration, and social disruption caused by climate change;

5. The role of environmental changes in the emergence of eco-anxiety and ecological grief;

6. Vulnerable populations to the mental health effects of climate change;

7. Strategies to promote resilience and mitigate the mental health impacts of climate change.

Dr. Benedetta Barchielli

Dr. Clarissa Cricenti

Dr. Giulia Lausi

Guest Editors