“My patient base has increased by a third since the first heatwave in May,” says Charline Schmerber, psychopractitioner and co-founder of the Network of Professionals in Support of Ecological Emergency (Rafue). The therapist notices this with each new extreme heat wave: people suffering from eco-anxiety call her for support. “Every heatwave, I have new patients but this is the first summer where I have had so many appointment requests,” she admits. Pierre-Eric Sutter, psychologist psychotherapist and president of the Maison des éco-anxieux, is even “forced to refuse patients due to lack of availability”.
Forest fires, repeated heatwaves, drought, water restrictions... This summer, the consequences of climate change are more than ever before our eyes. Faced with these disasters, more and more people feel helpless and find themselves in psychological distress. This is the case with Elodie. “The June heatwave triggered fears about the end of the world, seeing my children living in a world without animal life, without flora,” says this 35-year-old mother who lives in the Lyon region. I lost my appetite, I had insomnia... I ended up seeing an emergency psychiatrist and I cried throughout the session. »
Since the first heatwave in May, Charline Schmerber has received consultation requests for people aged 9 to 80. Among the new patients coming through the door of her Montpellier office, the therapist identifies two categories of people. “There are on the one hand those who are already aware of these issues but who have not found a strategy to deal with them and, on the other hand, those who have just become aware of them, are stunned and have not yet understood the systemic aspect of the problem. »
If Pierre-Eric Sutter saw his first eco-anxious patient in 2017, things have changed a lot since then. “At each heatwave peak, I almost only have new patients who consult me for this. » Charline Schmerber recognizes a bias in their findings, being both specialized in ecological issues. At the National Union of Psychologists (SNP), however, the phenomenon seems less visible. Nadia Souakir, member of the national office of the SNP, says for her part that she has “never received a patient” talking to her about eco-anxiety.
According to a study by Ademe (Ecological Transition Agency) published in 2025, 4.2 million French people were strongly or very strongly eco-anxious. But according to a new survey by the Eco-Anxiety Observatory, as yet unpublished, 1.1 million additional French people would have developed strong eco-anxiety during the peak heatwaves of summer 2026. “What this study shows is that before 2026, certain regions such as Normandy and Brittany were less affected by this problem,” reports Pierre-Eric Sutter, president of the Eco-Anxiety Observatory. Today, there is no longer any difference between regions. Everyone can be affected. »
An increase of which the government is well aware. In a publication published on July 22 on social networks, he advises in particular to “put words on what you feel” and to “identify what depends on you”. Recommendations which sparked numerous critical reactions on social networks.
Specialists insist: eco-anxiety is not an illness but a lucid and legitimate reaction to environmental crises. However, there are degrees and the highest can be pathological and lead to generalized anxiety disorder or depression. “I teach my patients to tame their eco-anxiety and to live at a tolerable level which is a driving force for action,” explains Charline Schmerber. You have to accept being powerless on a global level but it is possible to get involved, depending on your personality, on a local scale. »
