Climate Change, Disaster and Mental Health in South Asia

This book discusses disaster psychiatry and the impact of climate change in South Asia. South Asia consists of eight LMICs. As a region, it is one of the most disaster-prone areas of the world. Besides the increased frequency, disasters affect a large number of people in this area, as it is densely populated. Impact of the disasters is also considerably higher considering the scarcity of resources in the area. Recent studies identified that LMICs are more affected by climate change than high-income countries. However, little we know about the mental health impact of frequent disasters like cyclones, river erosions, droughts, floods, tsunamis, and the long-term effects of climate change in South Asian countries.

Mental health consequences of the disasters are not contained within the immediate post-disaster period, rather it continues long-term. Ironically, despite the population affected being usually large, the information about the sequelae is really scant. In addition, the support systems and resources for the survivors are not as robust as in the developed world. It appears that the enormity of the concerns is not appreciated by the authorities in these countries, primarily because of a lack of information and inadequate or ineffective professional suggestions. While the challenges continue, many survivors with mental health problems secondary to disasters are not recognized, treated, or rehabilitated appropriately. There is an urgent need to emphasize these aspects, especially in the South Asia region, considering its enhanced vulnerabilities.

Prof. Nilamadhab Kar, MD, DNB, DPM, FRCPsych is a consultant psychiatrist in the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Wolverhampton, UK. He is the college tutor for undergraduate and postgraduate psychiatry training and the lead for the International Clinical Fellowship Programme in Psychiatry for the Trust. He is an honorary professor of psychiatry at the University of Wolverhampton, UK, and is a visiting honorary professor in the Faculty of Contemplative and Behavioral Sciences, at the Sri Sri University, India. His research contributions have been in the fields of geriatric psychiatry, stress-related mental health disorders, preventive psychiatry, disaster mental health, clinical psychopharmacology, and quality of life. Besides journal articles and book chapters, he has written and edited a few medical books which include Handbook of Dementia, Comprehensive Textbook of Sexual Medicine and Handbook for Disaster Workers.

Dr. Sujita Kumar Kar is is currently working as an Additional Professor of Psychiatry at King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. He is the edi­tor-in-chief of Indian Journal of Health, Sexuality and Culture. He is also the edito­rial board member and reviewer of various national and international journals. He had written 88 book chapters and more than 540 articles in various national and international journals and made 70 presentations at various national and interna­tional conferences. He has been included in the global 2% researcher list released by Stanford University in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. His research interests include brain stimulation, neuropsychiatry, and suicide prevention.

Dr. S. M. Yasir Arafat is currently working as an Associate Consultant of Psychiatry at Bangladesh Specialized Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is an Associate Professor of Frontier University Garowe, Somalia, an Associated Fellow of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences,   and a Senior Research Fellow of the Biomedical Research Foundation, Bangladesh. He was affiliated with the University of Bristol, UK, as a Visiting Senior Research Associate (August 2021–2023) and an Honorary Research Fellow with Dnet (October 2023-25). He completed his MD in Psychiatry from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, and his MBBS from the Dhaka Medical College, Bangladesh. He also did an MPH in Health Economics and an MBA in Marketing. Dr. Arafat has (co)authored more than 350 peer-reviewed articles and more than 50 book chapters, and (co)edited more than 15 books with Springer. He has been included in the global 2% researcher list in 2021-23, and 2025. He is an editorial member of more than 10 leading journals in mental health, published by Elsevier, Wiley, Springer, and Taylor and Francis. His research focused on mental health, suicidal behavior, psychometrics, panic buying, and psycho-sexual disorders.