Health worker Claire Lee steps up to tackle alarming eco-doom crisis

A chronically ill Brisbane woman has put aside her own pain to help solve a mental health crisis, triggered by climate doom, sweeping over Queensland’s youth.

Mater Young Adult Health Centre Youth Ambassadors Claire Lee, left, and Tori Clough will address the upcoming Youth Health Conference in Brisbane. Picture: Contributed

A young Brisbane woman, who has struggled with chronic pain, is playing a role in helping doctors combat a new disease crippling the state’s youth.

Belmont woman Claire Lee, is putting aside her chronic illnesses to offer her expert advice to medicos addressing an adolescent medical crisis triggered by eco-grief, also known as climate doom.

Ms Lee, who is a member of the Mater Hospital Young Adult Health Centre, was compelled to act after an alarming report found the emerging mental health disorder is mentally crippling two-thirds of the state’s young adults.

The startling statistic was outlined in a YouGov survey of 1000 citizens aged between 16 and 25.

The Youth Mental Health and Climate Distress report also found 30 per cent of respondents said they were “very concerned” about catastrophic weather, floods, bushfires and climate change.

The Youth Mental Health and Climate Distress report for YouGov. Picture: YouGov

Alarmingly, more than 42 per cent of those aged between 15 and 24 reported suffering psychological distress, which is more than double the number in 2011.

The disease, similar to depression, is so prevalent that doctors and health experts from around the country are converging in Brisbane to discuss solutions next month.

When Ms Lee heard of the frightening figures, she decided to join the forum and use her experience as a member of the Mater Hospital Young Adult Health Centre, the only service of its kind in Queensland, which helps more than 200 young patients a year.

Her own health battles dealing with chronic pain from developmental hip dysplasia and Ehlers Danlos syndrome, has given her insight into some of the mental health issues youth face.

Her disorders affect her skin, joints and blood vessels with symptoms including making her joints overly flexible.

“I am hoping to help other young people and encourage medical professionals to take the time to listen and understand their patients,” she said.

University of Tasmania Professor Brett McDermott will speak at the forum, which aims to find real life solutions to eco-grief. Picture: Mater Health

Ms Lee will join University of Tasmania Professor and youth psychiatrist Professor Brett McDermott to discuss ways of treating adolescent mental health triggered by climate doom at the Connecting to our Future Youth, forum in Brisbane next month.

Prof McDermott, who has led eight major post-disaster programs in Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania said climate-change anxiety could trigger depression and affect life decisions.

He said eco-grief was causing distress with many teens giving up at school, when counselling sessions could proactively offer real-life solutions.

“Anytime you have a threat, it activates your cognitive systems around fear, increasing stress hormone levels and psychological fears,” 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.

“Treatment is about having an approach through optimism and activism and … doing something community-orientated, such as land care,” he said.

The Connecting to our Future Youth Health Conference is on from 11–13 November at the State Library, Brisbane, Queensland from 10am.

Originally published as Health worker Claire Lee steps up to tackle alarming eco-doom crisis