Facing the Challenges – Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in Times of Ecological Crises

Lea Dohm

Science is clear: The ecological crises, above all the escalating climate crisis, are man-made – and only we humans can prevent the worst consequences in these crucial years. Psychology as the science of human experience and behavior for example helps us to identify our role in this planetary emergency, while psychotherapy and psychiatry are helpful and skilled in supporting people in difficult life situations, in perceiving problems, and in initiating behavioral changes. It is therefore the knowledge of our specialist groups, which is needed today more than ever before, also socially.

How psychiatry and psychotherapy can make a contribution here, how we can succeed in becoming an audible voice in social discourse beyond the treatment setting will be presented in this keynote. In addition, this talk will also present what consequences can be expected for the mental health of the population and how we can support as many people as possible in healthy, action-oriented processing.

This keynote will be complemented by some practical experiences from Germany, which have taken place in the context of the initiatives “Psychologists for Future” and the “German Alliance Climate Change and Health”.

---