Eco-anxiety: between the recognition of suffering and the limits of pathologization

Abstract

Climate change has intensified its impacts on physical, mental, and social health, making eco-anxiety an increasingly relevant topic in the scientific literature. Characterized by emotions such as fear, sadness, guilt, and hopelessness in response to environmental degradation, eco-anxiety differs from traditional anxiety disorders because it is related to a real and well-documented threat. Studies have linked eco-anxiety to psychological distress while also highlighting its potentially adaptive nature as a coherent response to the climate crisis. Although it has been investigated through psychometric scales and conceptual models, eco-anxiety is not currently recognized as a diagnostic category by the major mental health classification systems. In this context, the editorial discusses the challenge of acknowledging and addressing this form of suffering without automatically framing it as a mental disorder. Interpreting every emotional response to climate change as pathology may shift responsibility for a fundamentally collective, environmental, and political problem onto individuals. Therefore, the editorial argues that health responses should extend beyond clinical care by addressing the structural causes of climate change. Recognizing eco-anxiety as a legitimate expression of human experience in the face of the environmental crisis may help prevent the medicalization of proportionate emotional responses and support integrated strategies to protect population health and well-being.