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In a new study, American scientists have linked the approach of the Doomsday Clock to midnight to an unprecedentedly high mortality rate in the United States.
It is noted that the closer the hands of the Clock are to midnight, the higher the mortality rates associated with Alzheimer’s disease, suicide, unintentional injuries, drug use, alcohol, and unhealthy food. Since 1947, the scientific journal The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists uses the metaphor of the Doomsday Clock to demonstrate the proximity of humanity to self-destruction.
Earlier versions of the Clock focused primarily on the threat of nuclear weapons, but in recent decades, scholars have begun to consider other threats, including climate change, disruptive technologies, cybersecurity, and political instability. To date, no study has examined the potential link between the Doomsday Clock and the overall the state of human health and mortality rates.
A new study conducted by researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital named after General Bircham examined the relationship between mortality and mental health based on data from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States and project «Global Burden of Disease» Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, with the position of the hands on the Doomsday Clock dial.
According to the authors of the study, their work is an initial approach to understanding the connection between the Doomsday Clock and the level of people’s health in particular, mental health.
«This study is a first step, with all its inherent limitations, but it offers a bridge between the fate of the world, our psychology, and our health This may seem intuitive, but it’s something that no one has ever paid attention to before. We hope that this will open the door for further discussion», — says lead author of the study, Dr. David H. Kraut, PhD, Director of the Psychological Assessment and Research Service (PARSe) and a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Samuel Justin Sinclair.
Researchers have determined that the closer the hands of the Doomsday Clock get to midnight, the higher the death rate from Alzheimer’s disease, suicide, unintentional injuries, and alcohol and drug-related disorders. At the same time, scientists have observed lower mortality rates from malignant tumors, HIV and diabetes mellitus.
According to the researchers, the findings suggest that in periods of heightened risk to society, there may also be corresponding changes in mortality and health indicators, and socio-political markers such as the Doomsday Clock may be useful in capturing aspects of basic social health indicators at the macro level.
«The well-being and functioning of individuals, societies, nations, international relations, our species, and our planet are interconnected Further research could look at complex, multidirectional interactions to address large-scale problems and communicate them to policy makers and public officials», — emphasized one of the study’s authors, Dr. Michael K. Kraut, MD, Honorary Head of the Department of Psychiatry at BWH David Silbersweig.
The article was published in the journal BAS
Source: MedicalXpress