Seth*, sixteen, is living with his father in Brisbane. His parents are separated, and his mum’s house has been impacted by flooding. Seth has been depressed for months but since the floods, is refusing to go out. ‘Everything is fucked,’ he says, staring at the floor. ‘I just want to go home.’
He misses his friends but sees no point in school. ‘Why study? Everything is going to shit.’
Sylvie* planned to take a gap year after school. She wanted to travel and work overseas, then changed her mind. Her mother is worried because Sylvie has lost eight kilograms, ceased menstruating and is no longer sure she wants to study at university; ‘I don’t want kids anyway, so who cares about my periods? Who would bring a kid into this world when there’s no future.’
Sylvie refuses to eat any packaged food and stopped eating meat in response to her environmental concerns. She argues with her parents and says they do not understand the magnitude of the issues. ‘I want to move out but can’t afford it and there’s no rentals anyway.’
As a GP, I am seeing more young patients who are experiencing mental health issues resulting from the direct and indirect impacts of climate change. The statistics for mental health issues amongst young people in Australia are alarming with 38.8% of people aged between sixteen to twenty-four experiencing a mental health disorder. According to Prof Maree Teesson, director of the Mathilda Centre at the University of Sydney, this increase in mental health issues among young people is part of an international trend being driven by three main factors: concern about the climate emergency, the cost of living and the increased breakdown of social connections.
With the World Health Organisation stating that climate change poses the greatest threat to health in the twenty-first century, Seth and Sylvie’s concerns are very real and reflective of the eighty-four percent of young people globally experiencing mental health issues due to concern about climate change and the perceived lack of response by governments and the older generation. The climate crisis is now considered a social determinant of health with marginalised communities and young people more significantly impacted. It is challenging to address the issue of climate anxiety as it is invariably accompanied by a sense of helplessness and hopelessness, with the future seeming uncertain and bleak.
Australians are already experiencing the multiple impacts of climate-change as extreme weather events like flooding and bushfires become more frequent. We are also dealing with the immediate and long-term consequences, including damage to infrastructure, displacement, disrupted education, economic strain, and poor health outcomes.
'It is so important for all of us to not only listen to their concerns but take a genuine interest, stay informed, and to seek additional support if needed. Our young people are the future. It is up to us to ensure they have one to look forward to.'
Seth is displaced because of the devastating floods with no agency over his future, confirming all his fears about imminent climate catastrophe. Although he has somewhere to live, there is conflict with his father’s new partner and isolation from Seth’s usual support networks.
Sylvie changed her mind about going overseas after learning how damaging flying is to the environment and is frustrated that her father regularly flies interstate for work. She wants her parents and brother to make changes to lessen their environmental impact.
One of the challenges of climate change is the sense of uncertainty and helplessness, the belief that nothing we do will make any difference. There is a temptation to manage climate anxiety in isolation, using medication to help with symptoms like insomnia, depression, and panic attacks. This can be helpful in the short term but does not address the deeper hopelessness that afflicts today’s youth.
There is a Japanese term, ikigai, which Japanese psychologist Michiko Kumano explains is a state of wellbeing that arises from devotion to activities one enjoys, which also brings a sense of fulfillment. It can be translated as, a reason to get up in the morning.
When a young person has quite literally lost the will to face each day, I find it helpful to reframe their distress and explore their values. It is affirming when managing climate anxiety to explain that their anxiety reflects how much they care about this important issue. The question of what makes life meaningful has been explored throughout human history with some common themes, and it is useful to distil these into three common principles that can be utilised by even the most disillusioned. Holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl summarised these as:
- Purposeful work or creativity.
- Being loved or loving someone.
- Finding courage in the face of adversity.
It can be helpful to begin with the first, and most tangible theme, reiterated by Nietzsche. Who has a why to live can bear almost any how.
When overwhelmed, it can be helpful to focus on the positives, to demonstrate that many other people do care and commit time to climate change. For example, rooftop solar power generation in Australia will soon exceed coal, gas and hydro. It feels as though the news and social media are inundated with all the terrible things that are happening, but there are always good news stories demonstrating the courage and conviction of people who live according to their values. With climate anxiety, I offer useful resources that connect patients like Seth and Sylvie to information which is empowering.
Despite opposition from his family, Seth expresses the desire to go home to his mother, keen to help with the clean-up and to have the support of friends who are going through the same thing. It is a step towards having agency and seeing the direct results of his actions. Sylvie agrees to see a dietician to get advice about a healthy vegetarian diet and opts to spend a gap year in an outback town, where she hopes to volunteer with a local environmental group. Both commit to a media diet, scheduling times during the week when they do not access social media. These are small steps edging towards a life of greater purpose, despite seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Climate anxiety amongst our youth is a very real and common issue and reflects the urgency of the climate crisis. It is so important for all of us to not only listen to their concerns but take a genuine interest, stay informed, and to seek additional support if needed. Our young people are the future. It is up to us to ensure they have one to look forward to. Teenager, Anne Frank said it beautifully while living in hiding with her family. How wonderful it is that no one has to wait even a minute to start gradually changing the world.
*Names have been changed to protect the identities of individuals involved.
Jo Skinner is a Brisbane-based GP, women’s fiction author, freelance health writer and distance runner.
Main image: (Getty Images)