Experts argue that dissociation is a coping mechanism that hinders effective climate behavior

Collective dissociation prevents people from taking effective action to tackle overwhelming climate emergency, finding a study published in Cambridge Prism: Global Mental Health.

The overwhelming scale and complexity of climate emergency often brings a sense of futileness to the individual’s ability to feel helpless and to bring about meaningful change. Group dissociation is a form of trauma treatment, threatening the cooperation required to deal with a climate emergency. Instead, it strengthens isolation and prevents objective assessment of destructive reality.

As a result, climate-related disasters have serious and lasting effects on mental health, leading to traumatic reactions and dissociation as subconscious coping mechanisms. Therefore, it is essential to understand these coping mechanisms and promote shocking climate behavior.

The need for empathetic climate activities

Recognizing how climate emergency affects people emotionally and psychologically, helps policymakers and individuals develop more effective climate responses.

It focuses on empathic climate activities and protecting the health of our planets and populations, and combating inaction and denial. This new study highlights the need to have lasting impacts on health systems and policies and shift towards active climate action.

Vulnerable communities are disproportionately affected by the effects of climate emergency, particularly in terms of food security. Extreme weather events exacerbated by global warming can cause a wide range of psychopathological responses, including mood disorders, anxiety and physical symptoms. Those with the highest impact of climate change, such as those displaced by environmental factors, are at higher risk. These events also contribute to persistent mental health issues such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), increased suicide rates, and substance abuse.

He is a researcher at Don Eliseo Lucero Prisno of the Faculty of Health, London, and at the Faculty of Public Health at Open University of the Philippines, the Faculty of Management and Development and Research at Mahidol University, and at the Faculty of Public Health at Mahidol University. Scale for improving infrastructure, strengthening social cohesion, providing mental health support, and reducing vulnerability to climate-related stress.

“Emphasis on community engagement reduces despair and provides essential solidarity to address climate trauma. Local leadership needs to support community-based climate action by providing resources and frameworks, promoting engagement and ensuring mental health support.”

Deborah Shomywa, principal investigator at the University of Lagos Pharmacy and the Faculty of Africa Studies at Global Health Focus, said: “To make meaningful progress, we need to go beyond the rhetorical call for civic action and directly confront the systemic forces that perpetuate climate emergency.

“Firstment of corporate resistance, government paralysis and prioritization of benefits on environmental sustainability all drives community omissions. Continuous investment in coal and oil in the financial sector, alongside unidentified consumerism, greenwash and war economies, accelerates climate emergency.

She and co-author Lucero Prisno argue that policy development must prioritize corporate and government accountability, and acknowledges that citizen-led sustainability initiatives alone are not enough to face the disruptive practices of large organizations.

How to fight dissociation

In response to these findings, researchers developed four important recommendations on how to combat dissociation.

Policymakers must increase transparency and accountability in political funding and coordinate public support and action for effective climate action. Policymakers should prioritize sustainable practices, accountability, strict monitoring of progress, and remain able to adapt to research and technological advances. Policy should highlight education and public awareness campaigns on the mental health impacts of climate change. By promoting a deeper understanding of climate trauma, these campaigns can mobilize public support for climate action and promote collective resilience. Policy should prioritize the needs of vulnerable groups and aim to build inclusive and resilient communities.

Beyond its specific environmental impact, this study shows that climate change poses significant mental health challenges both in the forefront and in the long term. Therefore, taking measures to combat human dissociation from climate emergency is essential to ensuring that human nature does not remain rooted in harmful environmental practices, and will damage the health of the planet even when climate action is essential.