Could Climate Anxiety Become the Prevalent Mental Health Issue of the Future?

If you’re losing sleep over climate change and environmental issues, you should know you are far from being alone.

Eco-anxiety and Solastalgia are on the rise, and they are likely to become a global problem. Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

In 2015, the World Health Organization estimated that 322 million people were living with depression, making this disorder the most prevalent global health problem. In 2021, another mental health issue on the rise might turn out to be even more devastating in the near future.

Mental health professionals worldwide have reported the rise of eco-anxiety and its little sister Solastalgia among their patients.

Symptoms may vary, but more and more people are experiencing distress and acute or chronic anxiety symptoms while witnessing climate change impacts and anticipating the inevitable environmental catastrophe we are facing in the not-so-distant future.

While this new trend is still being investigated and does not have the status of an official diagnosis at the time of writing, it is likely to gain traction in the coming years. Because let’s face it, the environmental crisis is only starting. It is expected to have more and more visible, durable impacts on the world around us.