A volcano, such as Popocatépetl in Mexico, which produces explosions. He mocha cyclone which made landfall on Sunday at Burmaand its 250-kilometer-per-hour winds that ripped through shelters in low-lying areas, leaving people missing and dead. Argentina, Uruguay and Chilewho have crossed extreme droughts and high temperatures, which caused crop losses and endangered the Food Safety. These are some of the most recent environmental disasters that affect people who suffer from it and worry others just by listening to the news from a distance.

It is in this scenario that scientists are already talking “echo-anxiety” either “ecological anxiety», the anguish linked to the concern about the effects of climate change.

A survey of University of Bath, UK showed signs of echo-anxiety. Of nearly 5,000 respondents, 19% of students and 25% of staff declared ‘extremely concerned’ about climate change, while 36% and 33% say they are “very worried”. The concern about the weather was higher compared to the results of the survey they had conducted the previous year.

The survey was completed by 4,764 respondents, representing 41% of University staff and 14% of students. The consultation was commissioned by the Climate Action team, and the methodology and results were analyzed by researchers Lorraine Whitmarsh, Paul Haggar and Kaloyan Mitev.

Agree with Stephanie Collierdirector of education in the division of geriatric psychiatry at McLean Hospital and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in the United States, “eco-anxiety is not a mental illness. Rather, it is an anxiety rooted in uncertainty about the future and alerting us to the dangers of climate change.

“It is normal to feel worry and fear” about the consequences of climate change, according to Collier. Additionally, anxiety about the weather is often accompanied by feelings of grief, anger, guilt, and shame, which in turn can affect mood, behavior, and thinking.

According to a survey by the American Psychological Association, more than two-thirds of Americans experience some form of weather-related anxiety. According to a study published by The Lancet, 84% of children and young people aged 16-25 are at least moderately concerned about climate change, and 59% are very or extremely concerned.

That children and young people feel worried has its justification. “It makes sense, because children and young adults will suffer disproportionately from environmental changes,” Collier said.

A report of UNICEF estimates that one billion children will be at “extremely high risk” from climate change. Children and young adults are also particularly vulnerable to the effects of chronic stress, and weather-related anxiety can increase their risk of developing depression, anxiety and substance use disorders.

Climate change can affect mental health directly (for example, through environmental disasters) and indirectly (through displacement, migration and food insecurity).

Rising temperatures have been associated with increased emergency room visits for psychiatric reasons and may impair cognitive development in children and adolescents. Additionally, food insecurity is associated with depression, anxiety, and behavioral problems.

The important thing is that climate anxiety or eco-anxiety can be managed. “Because uncertainty and loss of control characterize weather anxiety, the best treatment is to act. On an individual level, it is therapeutic to share worries and fears with trusted friends, a therapist, or by joining a group support,” the Harvard expert recommended.

You can also make lifestyle changes that align with your values. You can “take fewer flights, join a protest, or raise awareness about climate change through advocacy,” according to Collier. Approach as a group to connect with others to take meaningful action.

A study has just been published in the journal Plos One, on parents and children assessed separately for echo-anxiety. The experiences of 15 children (ages 8-12) were explored through semi-structured interviews and their parents’ perceptions were collected through a closed- and open-ended survey.

Reflective thematic analysis was used to assess interview data and content analysis to investigate parents’ and children’s experiences. The analysis found that parents who knew their children were concerned about climate change had children who used more adaptive coping mechanisms, the researchers from the University of Sherbrooke in Canada wrote.

“It is essential to support the emotional expression of children and to create spaces to discuss these existential questions. In addition, this generation must adapt to a less polluting and less carbon-intensive world, which suggests the importance of supporting children to move towards the mobilizing side of eco-anxiety and not towards the side that paralyzes them” , they expressed in the conclusions.

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