We see headlines like
these every day:
"One million species
threatened with extinction because of humans"
"250,000
deaths a year from climate change is a 'conservative estimate,'
research says"
"CO2 levels at
highest for 3 million years"
Unsurprisingly, such
reports cause anxiety, sometimes called “eco-anxiety” or “climate-anxiety.” Technically
called Solastalgia, it is defined as “chronic fear of environmental doom.” While
not yet listed in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual,) the Bible of
mental disorders used by psychologists, it is never the less a real thing.
In a 2017 report by the
American Psychological Association, the source of the stress is defined as “watching
the slow and seemingly irrevocable impacts of climate change…and worrying about
the future for oneself, children, and later generations.” It adds that some
people “are deeply affected by feelings of loss, helplessness and frustration.”
According to a Yale
survey conducted in December 2018, 70% of Americans are
"worried" about climate change, 29% are "very worried" and
51% feel "helpless."
Solastalgia is especially
prominent in young adults. Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager, is a
well-known example. Mary Jane Rust, a British eco-psychologist states “that (as
some of my younger clients have said), ‘We’re completely screwed’. I suspect it
might be part of the reason for binge-drinking epidemics, and other addictions,
for example. There is a general feeling that the future is so uncertain and
it’s extremely hard to live with.”
Symptoms of Solastalgia include
panic attacks, deep depression, lack of sleep, palpitations and the triggering
of underlying mental illnesses. One survey in the U.K. showed that half
of children between the ages of seven and 11 worry about climate change.
Other reports suggest kids are more worried about climate change than their own
homework.
In other words, children nowadays
are feeling deep hopelessness and frustration. This is exhibited in beliefs
like “we are all going to die,” “what’s the point of living,” and the rise of anti-natalism—the
refusal to have children. Some children even question their parents: “Why did
you have me?”
It is hard for adults to
understand the stress that this unremitting stream of apocalyptic narratives have on children’s health. Before climate change, most children dealt with fears
which had solutions. The fear of total extinction was never on the horizon.
Today, this anxiety pervades their lives.
Sources:
Mohan Ashtakala is the author of "The Yoga Zapper," a fantasy, and "Karma Nation," a literary
romance, published by Books We Love.. Check him out at www.mohanashtakala.com and at
