Behavioral health in Antarctica: implications for long-duration space missions.
Ideally, evidence from long-duration spaceflight should be used to predict likely occurrences of behavioral health events and for planning management strategies for such events. With small numbers of space travelers, and limited long-duration missions of a year or more, Earth analogues and simulations must be used as the evidence base, despite such analogues lacking microgravity, radiation, rapidly altering photoperiodicity, and fidelity to space. Antarctic health data are reviewed and an assessment made of the likely frequency of behavioral health events. Based on the Antarctic evidence, the likelihood of behavioral health problems in space is low. However, such cases may be serious and of high consequence, placing considerable demands on the mission crew and ground support to achieve a successful outcome, given the availability of pharmaceuticals and resources.
Lugg
Desmond J
DJ
Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA. desmond.j.lugg@nasa.gov
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D018480:Astronauts / Q000523:psychology*; D035841:Behavioral Research; D003081:Cold Climate; D005101:Expeditions / Q000523:psychology; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D012934:Social Isolation; D013026:Space Flight; D014481:United States; D018557:United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration