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Marathon effort: Dr Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson Why supporting mental health research at Sussex matters

Dr Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson

How does your job help others?

The links between climate change and mental health are still fairly unknown. It is therefore important to further our understanding to be able to plan, prepare and provide the best support to people.

What’s the one thing people should know about mental health?

Special reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicate that there is a lack of knowledge concerning the mental health risks of climate change. Climate change affects mental health in various ways. These include impacts on mental health from climate-related disasters, slower eroding changes to people’s home-environments, livelihood stress, displacement, migration and loss of identity. These effects may be short-term, long-term, direct or indirect, and sometimes be life-long and life-ending.

Why is it important to fund mental health research at Sussex?

Mental health as a research area is chronically underfunded (in the UK and overseas) in relation to other global health issues such as cancer and heart diseases, and it is failing to attract young academics. Even though it is estimated that 23% of ill-health is attributed to mental illness, RAND (a non-profit research and development institute) for example, estimated that only around 5.5% of the research funding is on mental health. That means that for every £1 UK government spends on mental health, the public gives about 1/3 of a penny - while spending £2.75 on cancer or £1.35 on cardiovascular disease.

What’s your favourite activity for supporting your own mental health?

I cycle to work, something that is great not only for your mental wellbeing but also for the environment. From time to time (when it is not raining) that also means exercising out in the sun. Sun and exercise are two very effective happiness boosts!

Sussex competitors are already training hard for the 2021 Brighton Marathon, BM10k and BM Ride cycle events in September. What’s your top three workout tracks for them?

My young son currently loves to dance to Waves by Dean Lewis, I imagine that would be a nice and energetic song to run to as well!