Session Information

• Community resilience
• Extreme weather events
• Mental health

Outline

Climate change is one of the major issues of our time, and has the potential to cause both direct and indirect physical and mental health problems. However, there are few studies on mental health in relation to climate change. Here, we take the example of the damage caused by the heavy rains in Akita in 2023, and show what mental health impacts may appear at various points after the damage. These impacts will vary depending on the resilience of the community to which the victims belong, including geographical conditions, information, and access to medical institutions.
In this session, a professor of meteorology will first explain the heavy rain in Akita in the fall of 2023, and mental health experts and media representatives will explain the changes in mental health over time among the victims of the heavy rain in Akita. As one example of how to strengthen the resilience of the affected community, we will introduce the me-fullness® app for improving mental health.