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Glossary of the most commonly used green terms

Eco-anxiety
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Eco-anxiety

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Eco-anxiety is a disorder related to the fear of a catastrophic future for our planet stressed by environmental problems.

We know by now that all ecosystems on Earth are in a delicate balance with each other and that even a small modification of this balance (such as an increase in temperature of a few degrees) involves a series of chain reactions that reverberate on all over the planet with catastrophic consequences.

Whenever we read news about the current high level of pollution or the loss of plant and animal species, phenomena such as melting glaciers, coral bleaching or acid rain, thinning of the ozone layer or increasing deforestation, we feel a deep sense of helplessness mixed with fear, fear for the future of the Earth.

Eco-anxiety is our emotional response to events related to the impact that climate change has on the planet today, to the fear of what will happen and therefore to our condition of life in the near future.

This new type of anxiety has not yet been officially included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5 which represents the reference manual for defining psychological pathologies), but has nevertheless been defined by the American Psychological Association as "the chronic fear of the environmental cataclysm that derives from observing the apparently irrevocable impact of climate change and the relative concern for one's own future and that of the next generations ".

Eco-anxiety is a condition that involves a series of symptoms that generally vary according to age: insomnia, panic attacks, stress, a sense of helplessness, frustration, guilt, distress, PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome). ) and even the formulation of thoughts related to suicide.

In adults the sense of guilt, helplessness and frustration is predominant, while in young people and especially in the very young the predominant feeling is fear seen as a lack of hope that can lead to real existential crises.

There are several ways to start fighting eco-anxiety on an individual level and one of them is proactivity.

An example of this is the growing global mobilization movements on issues related to global warming: young people moved by an "ecological anger" (eco-anger) who fight against the inertia of the world's greats, guilty of perpetuating harmful behavior from the environmental point of view and unable to solve the great problems that afflict the planet through concrete solutions.

The phenomenon of eco-anxiety, unknown until a few years ago, is accelerating its spread, affecting the mental well-being of an increasing number of people (especially children) so much so that it is talking about one of the possible diseases of this century.

In this regard, in 2020 The Lancet Planetary Health, an international scientific magazine launched a call to action to intervene immediately by making investments in the well-being and mental health of the younger generations who will be the leaders of tomorrow capable of improving the state of health of the Earth.