Climate change has proven increasingly powerful in our lifetime.
These are intense droughts, torrential rains, powerful storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, meltdowns
of glaciers etc. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),
The UN, the global temperature must reach 1.5 degrees of warming in the next two decades and demonstrate with studies that the risks of an environmental crisis for the next two decades are present, in addition to the symptoms already felt today, such as those observed in droughts. , fires, floods and unprecedented heat waves.
But you may ask yourself, “What do these issues have to do with my mental health?
The term eco-anxiety may be new to us in Brazil, but worldwide it has been very current and present. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), the term is defined as: “the chronic fear of suffering an environmental cataclysm that occurs when the seemingly irreversible impact of climate change is observed, creating a concern about the future of oneself and future generations. next”. .
As we can see, despite not being treated as a disease yet, it has a very big potential to become more and more established here in Brazil, as we can observe more and more.
these weather phenomena here.
Eco-anxiety, as an anxiety disorder, so to speak, does not affect all people in the same way and intensity. Its symptoms are characteristic as in other anxiety disorders, i.e. tachycardia, increased pressure, irregular sleep, gastrointestinal disorders, mood swings, depression, shortness of breath. Its early diagnosis is important, because in case of the presence of other accompanying diseases, they can complicate the condition.
Its effects tend to affect people between the ages of 20 and 30, especially those with a greater environmental awareness, as the greatest concern is related to the future of younger generations, combined with their sense of guilt for not having contributed more in preserving the environment. .
The first reports of this disorder were reported in the United States, in the early 2000s. Until then, patients’ concern was for the future of the next generation, but currently, people presenting symptoms fear for their future, given the intensity of climate change and its effects on the environment.
The effects caused by eco-anxiety affect us physically, mentally and socially, according to US Research Program:
➢ Physical changes: changes in physical and metabolic state, increased allergies, increased exposure to waterborne diseases, increased heat-related episodes.
➢ Mental changes: high level of stress, anxiety, depression, feeling of loss, worry, tension in social relationships, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder.
➢ Changes in community health: increase in interpersonal aggression, increase in violence and crime, increase in social instability and decrease in social cohesion.
It is important not to be confused with another term associated with post-traumatic stress involving major tragedies, which is Solastalgia. This is related to the group of psychological disorders that occur in a local population after destructive changes in their habitat, as a result of human or climatic action. These people are more likely to develop mental disorders.
So solastalgia is related to people who have already suffered from climate change, and eco-anxiety is about what might still happen because of it.
What should we do to avoid these symptoms?
The best way to solve a problem is to face it. Know the problem.
Playing the ostrich, hiding from the problem will not help at all. We must try to control impulses. Act in a way that takes advantage of the positive side of situations. Maintaining emotional balance requires attitudes, which are not combined with hasty actions.
Another way is to reduce the guilt that haunts people who exhibit eco-anxiety by adopting attitudes that help preserve the environment.
Remember, eco-anxiety will mainly appear in events, news and attitudes involving the environment. The good news is that the number of people involved in preventive actions has increased and this increase affects young people, who in turn become more concerned about future generations and why not their own existence.
Seek help at the first signs, have sustainable habits and invest in environmental education. Let’s live a full life!
