Mental health experts see spike in 'eco-anxiety'

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(SOUNDBITE) (English) JUDY KRAMER, ECO-ANXIETY SUPPORT GROUP MEMBER, SAYING:

“I'm sad, sad, sad, sad and frustrated. And It takes a lot to get me this sad...”

Judy Kramer is a member of a support group for a rising mental health issue in the United States known as ‘eco-anxiety..’

That’s anxiety caused by climate change.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) JUDY KRAMER, ECO-ANXIETY SUPPORT GROUP MEMBER, SAYING:

“I'm willing to work hard and I have been. And there are people all around who are inspiring like Greta Thunberg, but I don't feel hopeful. So I came to this group because I have climate anxiety and climate grief."

Climate change, including more severe weather events, warmer temperatures and rising sea levels, according to the American Psychiatric Association, is having harmful effects on mental health though the APA does not classify "climate anxiety" as a disorder.

Still, some psychologists say there’s a growing need for mental healthcare specific to climate change. Elizabeth Allured is a psychologist and psychoanalyst.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) ELIZABETH ALLURED, PSY.D CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST, SAYING:

"It's a huge problem. It's not like having a fear of going over bridges where you can just avoid going over the bridges. It can turn into some kind of anger and frustration that we don't recognize where it's coming from. But it's actually coming from this issue that's not being addressed adequately."

David Frette, a father of two, says he suffers from eco-anxiety. He participates in the same support group as Judy and describes the challenges he faces daily.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) DAVID FRETTE, ECO-ANXIETY SUPPORT GROUP MEMBER, SAYING:

“so few people even recognize the problem. It's one thing to not understand what the future may yield with having solutions, but to not even acknowledge that there is a similar problem that you understand just puts you in this lonely spot of trying to deal with it. And that's where the anxiety comes from."

Experts say activism may be one way to deal with anxiety. A great example: Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who says she fell into despair at age 11 when she realized the gravity of climate change. Since then, she launched a global movement.

One psychiatrist told Reuters empowering action is the antidote to these horrific, overwhelming emotions.