By: Grace M.
Photo from: Welldoing
With the current state of the environment and constantly hearing about the damages caused by climate change, it’s highly susceptible for one to feel helpless and anxious about where the world is heading. As this type of anxiety has become more common, it’s been given a label: Eco-anxiety. Described by the American Psychological Association (APA), Eco-anxiety is the chronic fear of environmental doom that can affect anyone of any age. It can be caused by living through a natural disaster first hand, hearing about a tragic natural disaster, reading scientific reports of the decline of our environment, and/or overall constantly being exposed to various news outlets of uncontrollable events caused by climate change. Anxiety is not the only mental health issue climate change can cause; people can also experience depression, stress, feelings of hopelessness, solastalgia (distress caused by environmental changes as stated by pubmed.gov) and PTSD in cases of experiencing a natural disaster.
Aforementioned, eco-anxiety can affect anyone, but children and individuals with preexisting mental health issues are at a higher risk for developing negative psychological disorders related to climate change and a fear of environmental doom (pubmed.gov, 2018). These mental health conditions can be brought on even just from news about natural disasters. Because natural hazards are unpreventable, feeling powerless in these kinds of events is common and incredibly frightening. Solastalgia is this exact hopeless feeling in which the environment of your home is changing for the worse and there is nothing one as an individual can do to stop it, as well as no longer feeling comforted by the environment around you. What’s more, a 2018 survey showed 69% of Americans are somewhat worried about climate change, and 51% of them feel helpless (yale.edu). Climate scientists are especially at risk, as their occupation requires them to study and research information surrounding natural disasters, environmental catastrophes, and tragic events of the global climate crisis. With climate change having negative effects on mental health, a Stanford study found a link between increased temperatures and suicides, alongside violence, stress, and lowered work productivity (news.stanford.edu). It is predicted that rising temperatures caused by climate change could lead to an increase in suicides, with as many as 40,000 suicides in the U.S. by 2050 if carbon emissions continue on trend (nature.com).
Climate change increases the risk of children developing PTSD, anxiety, sleep disorders, and more. Life becomes increasingly overwhelming when these mental health issues start having an impact on one’s physical well-being and interferes with day-to-day routines. Over half of adults and just under half of children in the United States suffer depression after experiencing a natural disaster. Direct impacts of natural catastrophes in a person’s mental health will only worsen as climate change causes natural catastrophes to be more frequent and more extreme overtime.
Eco-anxiety and other mental health issues brought on by climate change can be incredibly distressing, as there is not much that can be done to prevent natural disasters. However, there are different ways to cope with these feelings of anxiety and hopelessness as well as coping with mental health issues people can experience from climate change:
-If you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health issue, talk with your healthcare provider or a psychiatrist for a diagnosis in order to get the right treatment and support.
Photo from: The Light Program via Pyramid Healthcare
-Talk with family members and friends about how you feel, and ask how they feel about the state of the environment.
Photo from: Shutterstock
-Possibly look into seeing a therapist if you feel uncomfortable talking to family and friends about mental health issues and how climate change makes you feel.
Photo from: Huffpost
-Make a change! Do something within your community that helps the environment. It could simply be spreading awareness, making conscious choices that help you feel better about your impact on the world, or something more hands-on like helping or starting a local garden. Try looking into volunteer opportunities that help the environment and surround yourself with other people who are passionate about fighting climate change.
Photo from: WWNO
-Do things that make you happy or feel relaxed. It’s okay to spend time doing self care, listening to music, or distracting yourself if you feel overwhelmed.
Photo from: Shutterstock
Discussion Questions:
Have you ever experienced eco-anxiety or solastalgia? How does it impact your day-to-day life and what can you start doing to better cope with these stressful feelings?
How can the relationship between physical environmental changes and mental health issues help to destigmatize mental illnesses? Does it play a role at all in helping people to better understand mental health issues and normalize them?