McCann Global Health’s Head of Commercial x Public Health Strategy weighs in on climate change’s impact on mental health

In the latest from MM+M, Roshan Rahnama, Head of Commercial x Public Health Strategy at McCann Global Health and McCann Health New Jersey/San Francisco, discusses the mental health impact of climate change. 

“In California, it used to be about earthquakes and now it’s become fires and floods,” she said. “It’s a part of our everyday lives now — and it’s terrible in terms of its effect on mental health.” 

As a California resident, Roshan recalls experiencing not only wildfires, but also bomb cyclones, torrential downpours and flooding. With climate anxiety on the rise, Roshna sees a “huge opportunity” for healthcare marketers to address climate change. 

“If we think about solutions we’re devising for diabetes, for example, how can we also incorporate mental health from the angle of climate change?” Roshan said. “If a doctor is coming up with a plan for someone who might be living in a place that’s ravaged by severe weather and they don’t have the ability to go out and take a walk every day, that’s not going to be the right plan.”