This past year, Mother Nature gave us a stark wakeup call--the COVID pandemic. It has reminded us of our intimate connection with the natural world. Prior to this year, a pandemic seemed to be a remote possibility, but it was not so remote after all. Neither is ongoing climate change and climate change is far more deadly. The wildfires this year of Australia, the Amazon, and California, as well as the ever-mounting crises of extreme weather patterns, herald an abrupt change inclimate. Earth is warming more rapidly than any scientist predicted and the rise of greenhouse gases is burgeoning. The direct result is increased temperature and more extreme weather. The impacts of the rising heat and extreme weather on physical health are critical to human health and this presentation aims to explain the mental health implications of climate change. 

**This content was captured at the 2021 APA Annual Meeting and may reference information from various sources and terminology from previous editions of the DSM.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the mental health implications of climate change and resulting need for services.
• Describe the trends in Acute Stress Disorder, PTSD, Major Depression, and suicide in populations which are affected by climate disruption. 
• Identify the impacts of extremem heat for psychiatric patients. 
• Identify the developmental, psychaitric, and cognitive impacts of air pollution. 
• Describe eco-anxiety and ecological grief.

Target Audience

Psychiatrists, Residents/Fellows

Estimated Time to Complete

Estimated Duration: 75 minutes
Begin Date: April 1st, 2022
End Date: April 1st, 2025

How to Earn Credit

Participants who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™ or a certificate of participation may do so by completing all sections of the course including the evaluation. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians) or certificate of participation (non-physicians) showing the completion date and hours earned. 

Continuing Education Credit

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

The APA designates this enduring CME activity for a maximum of 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Planning Committee and Faculty Disclosures

The American Psychiatric Association adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity — including faculty, planners, reviewers or others — are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

Program Presenters

• Stephen Peterson, M.D., MedStar Washington Hospital Center, has no financial relationships or conflicts of interest. 
• Sharat Iyer, M.D., Icahn School of Medicicine at Mount Sinai, has no financial relationships or conflicts of interest.
• Joshua Wortzel, M.D., University of Rochester, has no financial relationships or conflicts of interest.
• Ben Liu, M.D., Oregon Health Sciences University, has no financial relationships or conflicts of interest.
• Janet Lewis, M.D., University of Rochester, has no financial relationships or conflicts of interest.

Planning Committee

• Jacqueline Maus Feldman, M.D., Chairperson, Scientific Program Committee, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Robert O. Cotes, M.D., Vice-Chairperson, Scientific Program Committee, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Uchenna Okeye, M.D., Vice-Chairperson, Scientific Program Committee, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Katie Putnam, Membership Development Specialist, American Psychiatric Association, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Ally Brown, Associate Director, Online Learning, American Psychiatric Association, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities

The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance.

Technical Requirements

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:

• The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
• Internet Explorer 11+

This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.

Optimal System Configuration:

• Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
• Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content

For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact learningcenter@psych.org for technical assistance