Climate change takes heavy toll on mental health in Bangladesh
- Climate impacts raise concern about harm to mental health
- Psychologists say too few professionals as threats grow
- Technology and training volunteers seen as solutions
[...]
Psychologists in Bangladesh said the grief and anxiety caused by climate change often comes from an overwhelming sense of helplessness rooted in communities' economic situation.
"The poor - whose livelihoods are already fragile and whose access to government support is limited - live on under threats looming in the horizon," said Rahman of the University of Dhaka.
Furthermore, there is still a lot of stigma around mental health issues and treatment, and people - especially in rural areas - often turn to traditional medicine and healers for help.
Depon Chandra Sarker, a child psychologist at the Patuakhali Medical College, a government institution, said that seeking support for mental health problems is still rare in local communities "unless someone gets really out of control".
[...]