Many people are surprised to learn that extreme weather events can affect mental health. The need for mental health services typically elevates after a climate-related natural disaster. Events like flooding, tornados, and hurricanes can cause people to lose their homes, jobs and loved ones. Extreme weather events can disrupt food and freshwater resources, as well as delay medical services. Sadly, the weather event itself may cause a decrease or disruption in mental health services typically offered to those in need, including regular psychiatric treatment.
Weather Tragedies Affect Entire Communities
Extreme weather events can result in increased mental health issues, such as higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Evacuations can cause families to be separated, and the disabled to temporarily lose contact with their caregivers. Even the first responders the public relies on to help society through extreme weather events can fall victim to increased mental health concerns.
As some areas move into colder weather, others are still registering record levels of heat. Prolonged exposure to extreme heat often results in higher amounts of domestic violence and other aggressive behavior. Some psychiatric medications inhibit a person’s ability to regulate heat, creating additional stress levels. Add to that a hurricane season that is in full swing, and there are myriad opportunities for extreme weather events to affect mental health.
Help for Weather-Related Stressors
If extreme weather events have affected your mental health, Alta Loma can help you put together a plan to overcome it. People may not be able to control the weather, but they can take charge of managing how it affects them.
Life is difficult enough when you deal with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, stress, and PTSD. These problems are compounded when extreme weather events occur, increasing these symptoms, or even bringing on ones not previously experienced. Flooding, tornados, hurricanes, and prolonged extreme heat are more than just stories on the evening news. They are real events that can cause increased suffering for those already struggling with maintaining their mental health. If surviving an extreme weather event has left you in need of expert guidance and support for dealing with ongoing or newly developed mental health symptoms, Alta Loma can help. We provide a homey environment in the Austin, Texas area, and offer treatment for a multitude of mental health issues, including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and avoidant personality disorder. Additionally, we provide services to treat drug and alcohol addiction. Contact us at (866) 457-3843 today for more information about how we can help.
