The rise of climate-change anxiety among young people will be on the agenda of an upcoming Brisbane conference addressing Australia's adolescent mental health crisis.
Two-thirds of young Australians (67%) say climate-change anxiety – also known as eco-anxiety, eco-grief or climate doom – is affecting the mental health of young people[1].
Professor Brett McDermott, a University of Tasmania researcher and psychiatrist specialising in youth mental health, will discuss the impact of climate-change anxiety at an Australian Association for Adolescent Health conference at the State Library of Queensland on November 11-13.
The "Connecting to our Future Youth" conference has been convened by experts at South Brisbane's Mater Young Adult Health Centre to support specialists involved in youth health practice and research.
"Young people are concerned about catastrophic weather and have anxiety about the future," Prof McDermott said.
"We have seen the impact of reef bleaching, bushfires and floods throughout Queensland – it's significant for so many young people.
"People see climate change as a threat to their wellbeing, their future or their financial wellbeing.
"Anytime you have a threat, it activates your cognitive systems around fear, increasing stress hormone levels and psychological fears."
Some 76% of young people say they are concerned about climate change, with 30% describing themselves as "very concerned"[2].
Prof McDermott, who has led eight major post-disaster programs in NSW, Queensland and Tasmania supporting young people after the trauma of floods, cyclones, bushfires and storms, said climate-change anxiety could trigger depression and affect life decisions.
"People need to be aware it's a real thing, and if it's problematic and causing impairment, such as giving up at school, then a counselling approach for the person to take a more positive approach is recommended.
"Treatment isn't to reframe the threat, it is about having an approach through optimism and activism, meaning if people get active in a positive way by doing something community orientated such as land care, that can help."
Director of Mater Young Adult Health Professor Simon Denny will co convene the conference with senior manager Greg McGahan and said there was a huge mental health care crisis across Australia.
"It is important for people working in the healthcare industry to understand more young people are need mental health care," Mr McGahan said.
"Mental health should not take a backseat to physical health."
All health professionals who work with young people, including allied health staff, nurses and education specialists, are invited to attend the Brisbane conference to gain new insights into the problems facing young Australians.
More than 42% of those aged 15-24 report suffering psychological distress, up from 18% in 2011[3].
Young people with an interest in mental health issues are also invited to attend.
Among the broad range of expert speakers will be Mater Young Adult Health Centre Youth Ambassador
Claire Lee, of Belmont.
Ms Lee suffers chronic pain from Developmental Hip Dysplasia (DHD) and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) – a group of inherited disorders that mostly affect the skin, joints and blood vessels with symptoms including overly flexible joints.
She is on a mission to help other young Queenslanders living with debilitating illnesses to seek therapy and emotional support at Mater's Young Adult Support Unit (YASU), which she said has given her a "purpose in life".
Each year around 200 young patients receive support from Mater's YASU – the only service of its kind in Queensland.
YASU's specialist multidisciplinary team adopt a developmentally sensitive, trauma-informed and systemic approach to supporting adolescents and young adults (aged up to 26) with chronic and complex medical conditions.
"I am hoping to not only help other young people but encourage medical professionals to take the time to listen and understand their patients," she said.
The Youth Health Conference is on from 11–13 November at the State Library, Brisbane, Queensland.
[1] Youth Mental Health and Climate Distress, Orygen Institute/YouGov
[2] Youth Mental Health and Climate Distress, Orygen Institute/YouGov
[3] HILDA Survey, University of Melbourne
