Anxiety about climate change can cause depressive symptoms

Climate variability is said to be a 'World War III' level crisis, and some say that it is necessary to take the same level of efforts as infectious disease control in order to deal with climate variability. Many people are concerned about climate variability, and in recent years a symptom called 'climate insecurity' has been reported. Brian Burnett, a psychiatrist at the Cleveland Clinic, explains how climate insecurity affects a person's mental health.

Climate Anxiety and Mental Illness --Scientific American
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-anxiety-and-mental-illness/

Several cases of climate anxiety have been reported so far, and in the extreme case, in 2008, a 17-year-old boy became so delusional that he was anxious about climate change, saying, 'I drink water at home. water millions case a person had in convinced to die 'of when or using there . It is also known that nearly one-third of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) reported in Australia repeats checking lighting switches, faucets, stoves, etc. to reduce the carbon footprint .

In addition, 340 more than 2018, which was survey of research and the climate anxiety associated with symptoms of depression, have also been reported and protect people from symptoms of depression is action that leads to environmental protection, such as 'reduce energy consumption.' I will. In a 2020 survey in Tuvalu, which is said to sink in the near future due to the effects of climate change, 87% of respondents said that 'climate change anxiety causes problems in daily life at least once a day.' '.

In addition, when I actually interviewed Tuvalu at GIGAZINE in 2018, of the 11 Tuvalu residents, 5 were 'I think it would sink', 4 were 'I don't believe', and 2 were 'I don't know'. It was a result.

10 things that I found by walking around Tuvalu, which is called a sinking island, such as 'a stretchy prison with a hammock' and 'bingo is not a play' --GIGAZINE

There are individual differences in 'people who are prone to mental illness due to climate change', and in addition to people who are susceptible to climate change on a daily basis, climatologists who are deeply knowledgeable and try to convey the situation to people also tell the facts. It is said that it is denied and it is easy to cause mental disorders. Of course, people who originally tend to have a neurotic personality are also said to be at high risk.

And age also has different tendencies to worry about climate variability. In an American poll , 57% of teens are afraid of climate change and 43% say they have no hope. Younger people feel that climate variability poses a greater threat to their lives than older people, and they are more likely to suffer from dysfunction due to climate insecurity. Increasing numbers of people are concerned about climate change and are choosing not to have children, and researchers are also concerned about the relationship between climate unrest and the suicide rate of 10-14 year olds tripled between 2007 and 2017. Claims that investigation is needed.

It is also believed that young people feel that their concerns are being ignored as environmental activists such as Greta Thunberg are rejected and attacked by prominent leaders. Barnett pointed out that such a situation would incapacitate young people.

Some people who report climate insecurity are responding adaptively, such as by engaging in environmental protection activities, while others are not dealing with it at all. We don't know how these different behaviors will affect people at the population level, but we need an approach such as providing cognitive-behavioral therapy to those who are seriously affected, Burnett said. I will.