[Environmental concerns--fear of the environment or concern for the environment?]

Increasing environmental pollution as reported by the media, makes people feel insecure and frightened which contribute to the onset environmental disease Environmental hazards and risks are perceived differently by lay people and by scientific experts. This is not a matter of irrationality of laymen. The layman's view of risks includes evaluatory and pragmatic (how to cope with the problem) dimensions. According to Kofler, toxicopy is regarded as a somatic reaction to a suspected threat by environmental pollution usually provoked by respective information by the media. Toxicopy is understood as a survival strategy under uncertain knowledge. Dealing with the fears of patients, the physician has to avoid enhancement of unfounded concern on one side and negating real problems on the other. High priority should be given to establish a trustful and co-operative therapeutic situation, in which the patients feels that his concern is taken seriously.