Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsThe Types of Natural Disasters That May Lead to SolastalgiaSolastalgia And Climate Anxiety Are RelatedA Little History LessonWhat Are the Symptoms of Solastalgia?The Solastalgia ParadoxSolastalgia May Lead to PTSDWhat Does the Research Say About Solastalgia?Will Everyone Who Experiences Natural Disaster Develop Solastalgia?Living in High-Risk AreasHow Can Solastalgia Be Treated?What Can We Do to Cope With Solastalgia?

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

The Types of Natural Disasters That May Lead to Solastalgia

Solastalgia And Climate Anxiety Are Related

A Little History Lesson

What Are the Symptoms of Solastalgia?

The Solastalgia Paradox

Solastalgia May Lead to PTSD

What Does the Research Say About Solastalgia?

Will Everyone Who Experiences Natural Disaster Develop Solastalgia?

Living in High-Risk Areas

How Can Solastalgia Be Treated?

What Can We Do to Cope With Solastalgia?

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When the places that matter most to us—our homes, our lands, and our communities—are disrupted, changed, or threatened, we may also sustain a less visible but no less damaging impact that is carried with us emotionally.

Other effects include a disruption to aperson’s sense of identity, belonging, and security relating to where they live.

At a Glance

Essentially, an ecosystem in distress can create significant, chronic distress in the people who call these places home.

Examples of the types of situations that may induce the condition of solastalgia include:

Causes and Risk Factors of PTSD

Solastalgia, which is sometimes also referred to more broadly as climate anxiety, interferes with the normal interplay between thewell-beingof our physical environments with that of our mental health—and as researchers, therapists, and doctors are increasingly becoming aware that damage to one tends to negatively impact the other.

A Little History Lesson On the Origin of the Term Solastalgia

Latin and Greek CollideThe word itself is a combination of the Latin wordsolacium,meaning comfort (or the English language derivative solace), and the root word -algia from the Greek wordalgos(which means pain), as in neuralgia (nerve pain) and nostalgia.

Latin and Greek Collide

The word itself is a combination of the Latin wordsolacium,meaning comfort (or the English language derivative solace), and the root word -algia from the Greek wordalgos(which means pain), as in neuralgia (nerve pain) and nostalgia.

Solastalgia vs. Nostalgia

This is quite the opposite of solastalgia, which describes the experience of chronic trauma, longing, orhopelessnessdue to negative or distressing changes to the home or ecosystem you are still in due to the impacts of climate change, weather events, fire, or other environmental factors.

With solastalgia, the home you are longing for can’t be returned to—it is there but not the same.

Earth Emotions

Albrecht, an honorary associate in the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney, has written a book on the subject,Earth Emotions: New Words for a New World, which delves into the relationship between a person’s land and theirmental health and general well-being.

In other words, solastalgia is a unique form of distress that specifically results from upsetting, unstoppable, often abrupt changes to a person’s home and/or larger environment. These changes are becoming all the more common as climate change escalates.

While this condition can be a bit hard to pin down, solastalgia can be thought of as a deep form of homesickness for the home or land of your recent past, experienced while still living in that home or place. People with this condition may feel their sense of place, belonging, and comfort has been eroded or is under attack, causing mild to severe and chronic symptoms of anxiety, depression, loss, distress, and powerlessness.

Solastalgia encompasses a wide variety of overlapping signs and symptoms that often accompany other mental health conditions. Plus, this condition often presents itself differently in different people and may occur in response to a wide variety of circumstances.

The severity of solastalgia symptoms experienced may range greatly as well. Some people experience debilitating, persistent, long-lasting symptoms, while others have mild to moderate symptoms that come and go over time.

Typical signs and symptoms of this condition include:

If you or a loved one are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or a loved one are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

How Long Do Solastalgia Symptoms Last?

Another key component of solastalgia is that symptoms of this condition tend to be experienced chronically. The feelings of distress may ebb and flow but do not tend to be alleviated quickly or easily and are not transient in the way that nostalgia often is. When a homesick person goes home, their nostalgia disappears.

How Does Someone Get Diagnosed With Solastalgia?

Doctors,therapists, and other mental health professionals can diagnose solastalgia. Your mental health provider will evaluate your symptoms, medical history, and life circumstances—in general as well as the specific environmental situations that may have precipitated your condition.

For example, a person with asthma may experience heightened symptoms of solastalgia related to events involving fire or pollution. The physical symptoms of having difficulty breathing may intensify their emotional response and vice versa.

For a person with solastalgia, they are already home, so the quick fix of returning home is not possible. It may feel that there is nowhere to go to escape the devastation that accompanies the destruction or other permanent changes in their environment.

Additionally, there is often a profound sense of helplessness that accompanies this condition as these changes areusually out of a person’s control.

Are You in Control of Your Destiny?

An experienced mental health professional can determine if a person is suffering from PTSD in addition to solastalgia or if only one of the two conditions is present. The same is true for depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.

How to Choose the Right Therapist

While scientific studies specifically on solastalgia are rare (but the field is growing), there is a solid body of research pointing to the significant mental health toll that climate change events can have on people’s mental health generally.

In a 2019 review study, this condition names the cumulative impacts of climatic and environmental change on mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

In fact, a 2020 descriptive review finds clear links between the occurrence of environmental disruptions and extreme or prolonged weather-related events, including natural disasters, high heat, and drought, with spikes in the frequency of mental health disorders.

No, not all people who live through a natural disaster or environmental change will develop solastalgia. On the other hand, just the experience of living through climate change can be enough to trigger this condition in some people.

What Is Distress Tolerance?

As we all live on a planet undergoing the effects of climate change, we may all be susceptible to this condition to varying degrees. However, people who live in areas that are more prone to environmental disasters or damage or that are under threat of such events are at added risk of solastalgia.

For example, people living in the Pacific Northwest have been told that there is likely to be a catastrophic earthquake or “big one” in the region in the next 50 years. Worry over the possibility of this impending natural disaster may precipitate solastalgia in some people, just as experiencing the devastation of an actual earthquake may also result in a person suffering from this condition.

Some factors that put people at heightened risk for solastalgia include:

Research makes clear that climate change and its negative impact on mental health tends to disproportionately affect people in marginalized or underserved communities.People living in these communities may be at greater risk of developing solastalgia—and of not getting properly diagnosed or treated.

While many people endure this condition without seeking help, effective treatments are available. Standard treatments for this disorder include variousforms of psychotherapywith qualifiedmental health professionals.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapyis a type of talk therapy based on the idea that a person’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are all interconnected. This approach for counseling seeks to redirect and/or alter negative thoughts in order to improve mental health and a person’s overall outlook on life.

CBT has been shown to be effective in treating both anxiety and depression and is the first-line treatment for solastalgia.

Medication

Antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, and/or other medications may be prescribed to help alleviate symptoms. Medications are typically used in combination with working with a mental health professional for counseling.

Treatment Challenges

One of the greatest difficulties in treating solastalgia is that much of what is so distressing about this condition is outside of the person’s control. In treatment, people with solastalgia work on ways to take back their sense of control, hope, purpose, and plans for the future.

Intergenerational Trauma May Be a RiskAdditionally, many researchers believe that not only can the ramifications of environmental disruption on the link between human and ecosystem health be long-lasting but that this distress and despair can be passed forward to future generations. This makes the need to address solastalgia even more pertinent.

Intergenerational Trauma May Be a Risk

Additionally, many researchers believe that not only can the ramifications of environmental disruption on the link between human and ecosystem health be long-lasting but that this distress and despair can be passed forward to future generations. This makes the need to address solastalgia even more pertinent.

Solastalgia does not have an easy fix, particularly as its causes are all around you and what might normally serve as a refuge—your home, land, and/or community—has been damaged.

Validate Your Feelings of Loss

Talk about and honor your loss—and ask for help when needed. Honor and accept that environmental change can have big consequences on the psyche and processing those changes can take time, effort, self-compassion, community support, and often money.

Make Redecoration and Interior Design Your Best Friends

Making plans for the future, whether big or small, from moving to a new location to redecorating your bedroom, can help. Aim to transform your home back into an oasis of comfort, whatever that means for you.

You might want to try:

Understanding Environmental Racism

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hayes K, Blashki G, Wiseman J, Burke S, Reifels L.Climate change and mental health: risks, impacts and priority actions.Int J Ment Health Syst. 2018;12:28. doi:10.1186/s13033-018-0210-6Cianconi P, Betrò S, Janiri L.The impact of climate change on mental health: a systematic descriptive review.Front Psychiatry. 2020;11:74. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00074Albrecht G.Earth Emotions. Cornell University Press, 2019.Galway LP, Beery T, Jones-Casey K, Tasala K.Mapping the solastalgia literature: a scoping review study.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(15):2662. doi:10.3390/ijerph16152662

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hayes K, Blashki G, Wiseman J, Burke S, Reifels L.Climate change and mental health: risks, impacts and priority actions.Int J Ment Health Syst. 2018;12:28. doi:10.1186/s13033-018-0210-6Cianconi P, Betrò S, Janiri L.The impact of climate change on mental health: a systematic descriptive review.Front Psychiatry. 2020;11:74. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00074Albrecht G.Earth Emotions. Cornell University Press, 2019.Galway LP, Beery T, Jones-Casey K, Tasala K.Mapping the solastalgia literature: a scoping review study.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(15):2662. doi:10.3390/ijerph16152662

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Hayes K, Blashki G, Wiseman J, Burke S, Reifels L.Climate change and mental health: risks, impacts and priority actions.Int J Ment Health Syst. 2018;12:28. doi:10.1186/s13033-018-0210-6Cianconi P, Betrò S, Janiri L.The impact of climate change on mental health: a systematic descriptive review.Front Psychiatry. 2020;11:74. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00074Albrecht G.Earth Emotions. Cornell University Press, 2019.Galway LP, Beery T, Jones-Casey K, Tasala K.Mapping the solastalgia literature: a scoping review study.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(15):2662. doi:10.3390/ijerph16152662

Hayes K, Blashki G, Wiseman J, Burke S, Reifels L.Climate change and mental health: risks, impacts and priority actions.Int J Ment Health Syst. 2018;12:28. doi:10.1186/s13033-018-0210-6

Cianconi P, Betrò S, Janiri L.The impact of climate change on mental health: a systematic descriptive review.Front Psychiatry. 2020;11:74. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00074

Albrecht G.Earth Emotions. Cornell University Press, 2019.

Galway LP, Beery T, Jones-Casey K, Tasala K.Mapping the solastalgia literature: a scoping review study.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(15):2662. doi:10.3390/ijerph16152662

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