According to the study, rising humidity affects people’s mental health, which raises the risk of suicide.
The study
According to new research, high humidity caused by the climate crisis is more likely to be the cause of higher suicide rates. The study found that more frequent spells of humidity, which are increasing as a result of global warming, were particularly harmful to women and young people.
More frequent bouts of humidity were shown to be more strongly connected to suicide than high temperatures, according to scientists.
The study, which was carried out by researchers from the United Nations’ universities of Sussex and Geneva, as well as University College London, is based on data from 60 nations between 1979 and 2016.
Heat waves are defined as a four-day period in which the minimum daily temperature exceeds the 99th percentile (higher than 99 percent of other indicators for the area). The fraction of water vapour present in the air was used to calculate humidity.
On November 15, 2021, the findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports.
What the researchers’ say
Humidity interfered with the body’s ability to regulate temperature, according to co-author Dr Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson. For people who are already suffering from mental problems, this is likely to cause further discomfort and may even worsen the situation. When these patients’ mental health deteriorates, the risk of suicide rises as well.
Dr. Karlsson emphasizes that when it comes to mental health, there are various connections, including anxiety and sleeping problems. She claims that sleep deprivation is a major issue because sleeping is difficult in hot weather, and even more so in humid weather.
The scientists went on to say that if the heat and humidity continue to rise at this rate, people’s mental health will deteriorate. Antidepressant medications interfere with the body’s capacity to regulate temperature due to the increased humidity.
Humidity and suicides are more closely linked in 40 of 60 nations, according to the study. Thailand and Guyana, for example, are hot and humid places. Not only that, but in nations with less moisture, such as Sweden, Belgium, and Luxembourg, the rate of suicides has increased.
If a person is unable to cope with the stress of shifting from cold to hot climates, his mental health will deteriorate. Dr. Sonja claims that this is the first study of its kind, in which an attempt is made to find a link between two big problems on a global scale. People’s mental health is deteriorating all over the world as a result of climate change and global warming.
The World Health Organization (WHO) plans to reduce suicides worldwide by one-third by 2030. At present, 7 lakh people commit suicide every year around the world. The trend that seems to be established between humidity and suicide rate in this study is scary. The biggest impact of this is on women and young people. Moisture worsens mental health and problems like stress, restlessness, lack of sleep increase. Unable to deal with these, the person ends his life.
