Climate change and mental health

There is a gap in the knowledge concerning the long-term and gradual impacts of climate change on mental health. This discussion paper summarises the expected impacts of the ongoing climate change on mental health in Finland. This discussion paper is intended to open the discussion concerning mental health on the actions and concrete measures we need for mitigation and adaptation to the ongoing climate change in Finland. It provides nine science-based recommendations for implementation in the integrated services for social affairs and health in Finland

Climate impact on suicide rates in Finland from 1971 to 2003

Programa de Aprendizaje Facultad de Ciencias Agrícola

Some features of human heat balance during winter season in subpolar climate of Northern Finland

Artykuł prezentuje wyniki terenowych badań bioklimatyczno-fizjologicznych bilansu cieplnego człowieka oraz niektórych parametrów fizjologicznych organizmu w warunkach zimowych w strefie klimatu polar-nego północnej Finlandii. W trakcie badań obserwowano tempo ochładzania się temperatury twarzy oraz warunki zachowania równowagi cieplnej organizmu podczas długotrwałej ekspozycji terenowej.The paper presents some results of field experiment dealing with physiological adaptation to cold in arctic climate. The bioclimatic-and-physiological measurements were carried out in February 2008 in Saariselka in northern Finland. The research are the part of COST 730 Action “Towards a universal thermal climate index UTCI for assessing the thermal environment of the human being”. We have observed face cooling during long cold exposure when standing and during walking. Whole body heat balance, adaptation processes and thermal sensations were also studied. The results show great effectiveness of cold adaptation processes. Both, physiological responses of an organism (e.g. shivering) and behavioural thermal regulation (activity, clothing) help to keep homeothermy. Some risk of local skin cooling that can lead to frostbite was observed at non covered face after 20 minute exposure in –12°C and wind speed of 12-20 m/s

Seasonal patterns of sickness absence due to diagnosed mental disorders: a nationwide 12-year register linkage study

Abstract Aims Although seasonality has been documented for mental disorders, it is unknown whether similar patterns can be observed in employee sickness absence from work due to a wide range of mental disorders with different severity level, and to what extent the rate of change in light exposure plays a role. To address these limitations, we used daily based sickness absence records to examine seasonal patterns in employee sickness absence due to mental disorders. Methods We used nationwide diagnosis-specific psychiatric sickness absence claims data from 2006 to 2017 for adult individuals aged 16–67 (n = 636,543 sickness absence episodes) in Finland, a high-latitude country with a profound variation in daylength. The smoothed time-series of the ratio of observed and expected (O/E) daily counts of episodes were estimated, adjusted for variation in all-cause sickness absence rates during the year. Results Unipolar depressive disorders peaked in October–November and dipped in July, with similar associations in all forms of depression. Also, anxiety and non-organic sleep disorders peaked in October–November. Anxiety disorders dipped in January–February and in July–August, while non-organic sleep disorders dipped in April–August. Manic episodes reached a peak from March to July and dipped in September–November and in January–February. Seasonality was not dependent on the severity of the depressive disorder. Conclusions These results suggest a seasonal variation in sickness absence due to common mental disorders and bipolar disorder, with high peaks in depressive, anxiety and sleep disorders towards the end of the year and a peak in manic episodes starting in spring. Rapid changes in light exposure may contribute to sickness absence due to bipolar disorder. The findings can help clinicians and workplaces prepare for seasonal variations in healthcare needs