The climate crisis has a wide-reaching impact that negatively affects both acute and long-lasting mental health outcomes. Are there specific populations that are more vulnerable to mental health issues related to the climate crisis? What is the role of mental health professional to combat the negative influence of climate change on mental health?

Robin Cooper, MD, is a psychiatrist who has had a private practice in San Francisco for 40 years, is Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the UCSF Medical School, where she is actively involved in efforts to address climate change impacts on mental health and health. She is co-founder of Climate Psychiatry Alliance, a national group of psychiatrists and mental health professionals dedicated to understanding, educating, and advocating about the specific impact of climate change on mental health. As she moves into semi-retirement in her clinical work, her work around climate change impacts on health and mental health have become a second career.

Resources

Climate Psychiatry Alliance

https://www.climatepsychiatry.org

Coping with Extreme Health

https://www.climatepsychiatry.org/heat-wave-resources