Episode 59: Eco-Anxiety with Dr. Lise Van Susteren (Climate for Health)
Feelings of helplessness toward the ecological crisis, persistent worry about the future of the climate, intense guilt about your own carbon footprint... sound familiar? These are all symptoms of eco-anxiety, the focus of our 59th episode and something we at Sustainability Defined can relate to directly. Join us as we unpack what exactly eco-anxiety is, why it's so important, and what we can do about it. We're lucky to chat with Dr. Lise Van Susteren in this episode, a licensed psychiatrist and pioneer in the field of eco-anxiety. Take a deep breath, press play, and come learn with us!
Learn how more about social sustainability topics here!
Episode Intro Notes
What We Will Cover
What is eco-anxiety?
Why is eco-anxiety important?
Who is affected by eco-anxiety?
How can we address our own eco-anxiety?
About our guest, Dr. Lise Van Susteren
What is eco-anxiety?
Eco-anxiety refers to chronic or severe anxiety related to humans’ relationship with the environment. The immediate effects of climate change — such as damage to community groups, a loss of food, and reduced medical supply security — can cause acute harm to people’s mental health. Additionally, the gradual impacts of climate change, including increasingly rising sea levels and changes in weather patterns, may lead to chronic mental health symptoms.
Put another way, eco-anxiety refers to feelings of helplessness, anger, insomnia, panic and guilt toward the climate and ecological crisis. It can also be described as persistent and intrusive worries about the future of the Earth.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) states that a changing climate can affect mental health in several ways, including trauma and shock, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, aggression, reduced feelings of autonomy and control, and feelings of helplessness, fatalism, and fear.
People may also feel guilty or anxious about the impact that their or their generation’s behavior may have on the environment and that of future generations.
We’re guessing that Definers might be able to relate directly to these - we sure do.
We’ll be quick to emphasize that feelings of eco-anxiety are not wrong. In fact, eco-anxiety – like climate depression or climate rage – isn’t a sign that something’s wrong with you. Almost the exact opposite - It’s a reasonable and healthy response to an existential threat.
According to psychologist Dr. Susan Clayton, “The anxiety is useful. It tells us that there’s something that we need to be paying attention [and] reacting to.”
See if you can relate to this excerpt from the Washington Post:
The often apocalyptic nature of the news about climate change is perhaps uniquely paralyzing. Elizabeth Haase, a psychiatrist in Nevada, describes how some of her patients can be overwhelmed by the scale of the problem: “I’m supposed to be emotionally hopeful in a hopeless situation, and I’m supposed to act powerful when the source of power is collective power and it’s overwhelming, and I’m supposed to feel faith and do things to be sustainable when nature is declining around me.” Overcome by a sense of powerlessness, they simply feel stuck in a situation, with no way out.
If you want to hear other stories from those with Eco Anxiety, check out Eco-Anxiety Stories at ecoanxious.ca. You can share your story there as well.
why is eco-anxiety important?
While it is not currently listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), meaning that doctors do not officially consider it a diagnosable condition, that doesn’t make it any less important.
According to a new poll by the APA, 67% of Americans are somewhat or extremely anxious about the impacts of climate change, and 65% of Americans think we aren’t doing enough to fight it.
Further, between 2009 and 2020, the proportion of Americans who said they had personally experienced the effects of global warming increased from 32% to 42%, according to the 2020 survey from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
There’s also been some articles written about how eco-anxiety is particularly pronounced among the youth and new moms.
A recent survey shows that about 83% of Gen Z Americans—people between the ages of 14 and 24—are concerned about the health of the planet and say that the quality of their environment affects their health and well-being."
Another survey found that 78% of Gen Z-ers say that they aren’t planning, or don’t want, to have children of their own as a result of climate change.
With new moms, it can be part of postpartum anxiety, as well as thinking more about what life will be like for their little one growing up.
Here’s one story from an article we read: Portia Zwicker, a 41-year-old technical writer from Niskayuna, NY, had been mildly concerned about climate change before getting pregnant. It wasn’t until she became a mother that she started suffering from severe anxiety over it. “It just scares me so much to think about the kind of world my daughter will be living in when she’s my age,” she explains. She sometimes finds herself waking up at night in a panic about climate issues.
Chronic or severe stress, whatever the cause, can increase the risk of several serious health conditions. This includes heart disease, high blood pressure, and depression.
In 2019 alone, Oxford Language reported a 4,290% increase in the use of the word ‘eco-anxiety.’
Take this excerpt from a recent Guardian article, for example.
“Until two years ago Dr Patrick Kennedy-Williams, a clinical psychologist from Oxford, had spent his career treating common mental health difficulties including anxiety, depression and trauma. Then something new started to happen. Climate scientists and researchers working in Oxford began to approach him asking for help.
“These were people who were essentially facing a barrage of negative information and downward trends in their work … and the more they engaged with the issue, the more they realised what needed to be done – and the more they felt that was bigger than their capacity to enact meaningful change,” he said. “The consequences of this can be pretty dire – anxiety, burnout and a sort of professional paralysis.”
So relatable!!!
It’s clear that more psychologists are seeing patients with symptoms of eco-anxiety. No wonder more than 1,000 clinical psychologists have signed an open letter highlighting the impact of the crisis on people’s wellbeing and predicting “acute trauma on a global scale in response to extreme weather events, forced migration and conflict”.
Who is affected by eco-anxiety?
Really anyone can be affected by eco-anxiety, but we’re going to spotlight a few groups in particular here.
Those whose livelihoods depend on the environment, like those working in fishing, tourism, agriculture, etc, are certainly likely to feel the impacts of eco-anxiety.
Indigenous communities living in vulnerable geographic areas are predisposed as well. They may face the fear of losing housing, their livelihood, or their cultural heritage, which can be damaging for their sense of identity, belonging, and sense of community.
A study on climate impacts and mental health in Rigolet, a Canadian Intuit community, reports that interruptions to regular activities such as fishing, hunting, and foraging had negative impacts on individuals’ well-being.
Youth
A survey by UK-based environmental charity Global Action Plan revealed that (77%) of students say that thinking about climate change makes them anxious.
What’s more, 1/2 of teachers feel ill-equipped to deal with student anxiety around climate change.
We love the group Force of Nature, which is a youth created/led organization that “empowers young people to turn their eco-anxiety into agency, and work with leaders across business and education to drive intergenerational solutions.”
We’ll link to their site in our show notes, where they have tons of great resources for young people and teachers working to address eco-anxiety.
There’s also a huge need for parents to engage with their kids about this, no matter how difficult it may be. We’ll link to a fantastic article by the Guardian in our show notes on our website that has helpful tips for parents when discussing heavy topics like climate change with their kiddos.
We have seen articles that posit that eco-anxiety is more of a white phenomenon than it is for other racial groups. This idea is especially interesting when paired with the results from a study by Yale’s Center for Climate Change Communication, which found that Hispanics/Latinos (69%) and African Americans (57%) are more likely to be Alarmed or Concerned about global warming than are Whites (49%). In contrast, Whites are more likely to be Doubtful or Dismissive (27%) than are Hispanics/Latinos (11%) or African Americans (12%).
The next question is, if Whites are less concerned and more likely to be dismissive than other groups, why do some see eco-anxiety as being a white phenomenon?
Author Sarah Jaquette Ray wonders if eco-anxiety could be another form of white fragility or even racial anxiety (in other words, if climate anxiety is just code for white people wishing to hold onto their way of life or get “back to normal,” to the comforts of their privilege). This parallels with other studies that show that the white and affluent will most likely not feel climate change’s worst effects.
One article argued that climate-aware therapists need to “decolonize” to reach the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities. These therapists report not serving many clientele of color, particularly those with low incomes. The article says this may be because black people have a general mistrust of the healthcare system, BIPOC folks may find more solace in spirituality rather than therapy, and also therapy is expensive.
On the positive side, there are therapists that focus on how this issue impacts black, indigenous, and people of color. These leaders in the field include:
Theopia Jackson - Psychologist and President of Black Psychologists of America
Carissa Caban-Aleman - Psychologist and Community Activist
Mary Roessel - Psychiatrist of the Navajo Nation
Sherrie Bedonie - Psychologist from Native American Counseling and Healing Collective
Dr. Jennifer Mullan - Psychologist and author
how can we address our own eco-anxiety
Well, as a starting point, research suggests that trying to avoid thinking about climate-related issues, or other conditions that cause anxiety, is actually an attempt to try to control our fears, even though fear and avoidance are at the root of denial and inaction. So as tough as it might be, trying to shove the issue out of your mind may not be the best way forward.
Let’s now run through some tangible solutions.
First, getting involved with like-minded groups and finding a sense of community is a great step. Studies suggest that social support can provide resilience to stress and that feelings of belonging can increase motivation.
Second, you could foster a stronger connection with nature. Spending more time outdoors or with nature may help alleviate eco-anxiety by encouraging a positive personal connection with the environment. Some people even recommend keeping a rock, twig, dried flower, or other natural object that they can look at and touch when feeling disconnected or overwhelmed. This may work in a similar way to grounding techniques that some mental health professionals recommend for managing anxiety.
Third, allow yourself to feel the feelings but knowing when to disengage is incredibly important. Without realizing it, people can be very influenced by the information they see each day in the media, politics, advertising, and on social media platforms. Seeing this information over and over again can cause stress, especially if it is inaccurate, biased, or presented in a certain way.
Although people can benefit from educating themselves about environmental issues, being exposed to an overwhelming amount of information or lots of untrustworthy information can create anxiety.
Reevaluating sources of environmental information or cutting back or unplugging from media sources, at least temporarily, may help reduce immediate stress levels. You could also check out a unique newsletter created by Dr. Britt Wray, a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University and the London School of Hygiene, who channeled her own eco-anxiety into a newsletter called Gen Dred. Her newsletter offers coping tips to readers and has over 2,000 subscribers.
Fourth, you could stay educated and abreast of new, potentially game changing solutions under development. You can’t just have doses of the intense reality; you should also have some doses of magic/hope. Getting accurate information about the environment can empower communities and help them feel prepared and resilient if a crisis occurs.
A fifth option is you can take action in a way that is meaningful for you. Finding out what is meaningful for you may involve some reflection. For some it may be to get involved politically! If that’s you, check out our Climate Advocacy episode for more tips on that.
In fact, one of our guests on that episode, Varshini Prakash of the Sunrise Movement, said in a recent Washington Post article on eco-anxiety, “Hope lies in action. ... If I were just sitting at home doing nothing all day and then reading the barrage of news and being on social media, I think I would be extremely depressed and extremely anxious and in constant fear.”
People with severe eco-anxiety, or anxiety that does not respond to at-home management tips, may need professional help handling their anxiety. To get professional help for eco-anxiety, a person can talk with a family doctor or other healthcare worker who can provide guidance on how to connect with an appropriate mental health professional.
A growing number of mental health professionals are receiving training in how to help people manage their relationship with nature and cope with modern-day environmental problems. One group to check out here is the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America, which hosts a Climate Therapists Directory on its website.
Note that many therapists feel ill-equipped to help with eco-anxiety. A 2016 study found that more than half of therapists interviewed felt that their training had not adequately prepared them to deal with the mental health impacts of the climate crisis.
Beyond not having the training, there could also be an issue with a therapist not recognizing the legitimacy of these eco-anxiety induced feelings. And even if you have a therapist, this is why it might be worth checking out the Climate Therapists Directory.
Scott’s and Jay’s experiences
Jay - meditation
Defense mechanism - distract myself with short-term work
Limiting exposure to negative climate news - rabbit hole but feel guilty at same time by not paying total attention
Scott - do admittedly use defense mechanisms maybe I shouldn’t such as it’s ok, I’m sure we’ll innovate our way out of this.
Thankful I don’t live in a community or have a family that stresses me out on this front. People in the eco-anxiety therapy session shared they had that issue. Some said they even get made fun of.
about our expert guest
We’re super excited to be speaking with Dr. Lise Van Susteren. Dr. Lise is a General and Forensic Psychiatrist, the Co-Founder of Climate Psychiatry Alliance, and the Author of Emotional Inflammation: Discover Your Triggers and Reclaim Your Equilibrium During Anxious Times.
And that’s not all - she’s also the Founder and CEO of Lucky Planet Foods, a company dedicated to providing low-carbon, plant-based, healthy foods for sustainable living.