Beyond Doomscrolling: How Climate Anxiety is Impacting Mental Health

Phrases like "There is no Planet B" have become powerful rallying cries in recent years. Adults are taking to the streets, students are skipping school, and people from all walks of life are posting on social media, advocating for climate action. As individuals of all ages pressure influential figures and companies to address climate change, eco-consciousness has permeated the mainstream more profoundly than ever.

According to new research by Orygen - an Australian mental health think tank - young people remain particularly worried about the environment. In a sample of 1,000 participants aged 16-25, 76% expressed feeling 'very' or 'somewhat concerned' about climate change. Within this cohort, two-thirds said that the climate crisis is negatively impacting their mental health.

As feelings of hopelessness come to define conversations around climate change, these emotions are having a detrimental impact on the mental health of Australians.

The Rise of Climate Anxiety

The American Psychological Association characterises climate anxiety, used interchangeably with eco-anxiety, as "a chronic fear of environmental doom."

In light of this broad definition, climate anxiety manifests differently across the population. Some people may experience mild stress, while others might grapple with clinical disorders such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (Dodds, 2021, p. 222).

It is worth noting that climate anxiety is not officially recognised in the diagnostic manuals used by psychologists and psychiatrists (Charlson & Crandon, 2023). Certain mental health specialists push for its inclusion, but others warn against it. Rather than pathologising the response to environmental concerns, researchers like Longman (et al. 2023) claim that eco-anxiety should be treated "as a natural human response to a collective crisis."

Either way, people are becoming increasingly affected by dangerous weather events, and climate-related anxieties are surging. In the polling commissioned by Orygen, a majority (56%) of young Australians felt more concerned about climate change in 2023 than in 2022.

"What we're hearing from young people is that they're increasingly worried about their future," Headspace national clinical advisor Rupert Saunders tells the ABC . "They're increasingly concerned that they won't have the same options that their parents had."

Who is impacted by Climate Anxiety?

Researchers suggest that an individual's immediate circumstances impact how they experience eco-anxiety (Crandon et al., 2022). In other words, those aware of or who feel the threat of climate change tend to experience heightened levels of distress. Therefore, factors such as physical environment, media consumption, and the attitudes of friends and family can contribute to an individual's susceptibility to climate anxiety.

Young people, recognising that it is their generation who will bear the weight of the climate crisis, are disproportionately affected. These concerns are further amplified by their consumption of climate-related content and media.

According to the Pew Research Center, Gen Z (born 1997–2012) and Millennials (born 1981-1996) are more climate-engaged than previous generations. As a result, eco-anxiety is particularly prominent across these demographics, especially "among those who are most engaged with the issue on social platforms."

The Pew Research report further reveals, "Among social media users, nearly seven in ten Gen Zers (69%) say they felt anxious about the future the most recent time they saw content about addressing climate change." This statistic is particularly concerning as young people are already predisposed to higher levels of psychological distress than their predecessors (Kelly, 2017).

However, the reach of eco-anxiety extends beyond age demographics; it is also felt in vulnerable and "at-risk" communities (Varshney et al., 2023).

Individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and living in rural areas, for instance, bear a disproportionate burden of climate-related anxieties. Disparities in infrastructure and mental health resources often leave these communities particularly vulnerable - especially people suffering from pre-existing medical conditions (Varshney et al., 2023). Severe weather events such as bushfires, floods, and droughts frequently render these communities jobless and devastate income-generating activities and property.

In a recent academic journal article examining the Australian Rural Mental Health Study - a longitudinal study of 1,800 households across rural and remote New South Wales - Luong (et al., 2023) investigated how droughts affect the mental health of rural communities. The authors found that individuals typically experience increased psychological distress during the initial 2–3 years after drought exposure, after which the effects gradually diminish.

It is also important to highlight that within these rural communities, First Nations peoples experience heightened emotional responses to environmental threats.

A larger percentage of Aboriginal populations, compared to non-Aboriginal populations, reside in areas with more severe climate-related exposures, placing them at an elevated risk (Standen et al., 2022). Due to their ancestral connections to the land, the climate crisis will likely negatively impact cultural practices, making the prospect of climate change particularly distressing for these communities (Standen et al., 2022).

How to Tackle Climate Anxiety

Recognising that climate anxiety affects most Australians to some extent, it is crucial to understand how to address these concerns.

Given that feelings of uncertainty, helplessness, and hopelessness underpin eco-anxiety, the best approach is to take some sort of action. This can vary for each individual but may include discussing concerns with friends, family, or a mental health professional. Others might choose to make lifestyle changes to be more eco-friendly, such as adopting a vegan diet, opting for a reusable coffee cup, or joining advocacy groups.

Although the Pew Research Center revealed that many environmentally conscious young people find climate-focused content distressing, the authors also note that many Gen Z and Millennials "say they feel motivated to learn more and [are] confident in the ability to reduce the effects of climate change." With that in mind, education about climate anxiety and understanding why climate change triggers these emotions can be beneficial.

All in all, being proactive and striving to understand the situation are essential first steps to alleviating eco-anxiety.

Check out MindSkiller's eLEARNING modules to learn more about managing anxiety.

Resources
https://www.orygen.org.au/getmedia/ebb8b76f-68a7-424e-b454-b056c1c87985/Climate-of-distress-Survey-results-2023.aspx?ext=.pdf
https://public-health.uq.edu.au/article/2023/03/%E2%80%98climate-anxiety%E2%80%99-clinical-diagnosis-should-it-be#:~:text=Research%20shows%20climate%20anxiety%20is,psychiatrists%20and%20other%20health%20professionals.
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/03/mental-health-climate.pdf
https://www.sydney.edu.au/sydney-environment-institute/news/2023/05/01/building-resilience-to-the-mental-health-impacts-of-climate-chan.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-07/headspace-mental-health-survey-climate-change-eco-anxiety/102825348
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01251-y
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2642/
https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/05/26/gen-z-millennials-stand-out-for-climate-change-activism-social-media-engagement-with-issue/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10581865/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8440818/
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/12/7502
Main image sourced from: https://scienceline.org