Environmental anxiety: where does it come from and what to do about it

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I’m afraid for my children because global warming will destroy the planet” is a standard complaint from a patient who comes to the doctor with eco-anxiety. Climate anxiety is a disorder that has come to the attention of psychologists not so long ago. Let’s talk about where it comes from and how to deal with it.



Causes of anxiety
Anxiety usually arises as a reaction to an objective danger. For example, there is a threat to the life or health of loved ones, the brain processes it and forces us to stay as far away from the source of danger as possible. A prime example is the new coronavirus. We see a diverse reaction to it in society. Some people experience excessive anxiety, which turns jamaica number data into panic. People go into the forest as hermits so as not to encounter the source of infection. For others, on the contrary, mechanisms of denial, rationalization, and repression are triggered, which turn a person away. For example, some begin to share the idea that the coronavirus does not exist at all, and this forms a layer of so-called Covid-dissidents.
The problem of the coronavirus pandemic appeared - after it, the phobia of infection, mysophobia, came to society. An elevator fell - the fear of elevators intensified. A plane crashed - aerophobia is becoming more actual. All these fears already existed in society at the time of the disaster, the news simply reinforces them. Articles on climate problems appear on the Internet every day: "They want to cool the climate ...", "Fighting climate change", "The planet's climate should not depend on ...", "The world's climate is warming faster than ...". The task of the media is to attract attention. The task of the human brain is to emphasize and worry.

The diagnosis of “environmental anxiety” is not yet given anywhere in the world, it is not included in diagnostic manuals. But the American Psychological Association began talking about mental health changes characterized by the term “eco-anxiety” back in 2017. It is described as “chronic fear of environmental death.” And many psychotherapists complain that they do not know how to help clients with this request. The UK’s National Health Service suggests treating such conditions like other types of anxiety — using, for example, cognitive behavioral therapy.