Election stress disorder is a real thing ahead of November polls

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00:00In news overseas, the constant stream of news, misinformation, outright lies and fear-mongering,

00:06especially by the former President Donald Trump and his minions in the MAGA, or Make

00:10America Great Again, GOP, has taken a toll on many, especially immigrants and election

00:16workers.

00:17And a group of American shrinks, the American Psychologists Association, has a term for

00:22it, election stress disorder.

00:25VOA's Maxim Adams has the full story.

00:30The November 5th presidential election causing anxiety for nearly three quarters of those

00:36surveyed in an American Psychiatric Association poll.

00:40Some psychologists are branding this phenomenon election stress disorder.

00:45The political climate and discussions about the election had become a lot more heated

00:51and a lot more divisive.

00:52And we wondered if that was having an impact on individuals.

00:55And certainly their self-reported experience of it was that, indeed, that has been a significant

01:01source of stress for many individuals.

01:03And other research has also found similar kinds of results.

01:09Political stress affects many aspects of life, says University of Nebraska-Lincoln political

01:14science professor Kevin Smith.

01:17A fifth to a quarter of American reports ruptured social relationships, you know, maybe even

01:24problems at work because of politics.

01:28Smith's research shows that young people, as well as those with left-leaning views,

01:34and those more involved in politics, are more prone to election stress.

01:39We know how to mitigate the health effects.

01:43It's just not paying attention to politics, just tune out.

01:47The problem with that is that might be good for individual health, but it's not particularly

01:53good for civic health.

01:55Stress management specialist Dr. Kiran Dintiala, known as Dr. Kham, recently published a book

02:02called The Mantra of Peaceful Politics, where he shares his advice of how to avoid excessive

02:08stress during the pre-election period.

02:12Politicians come and go.

02:15Politicians come and go.

02:17It might change their future, maybe 10 percent, 20 percent, maybe 30 percent.

02:23But for the most part, their future, their happiness depends on what they do every single

02:30day in their life, their behaviors, their emotions.

02:33But Bufka says there is a way out of the psychological malaise.

02:37She says it is all about exerting control over where you get your information, and also

02:43about doing something, anything, instead of doom-scrolling political stories.

02:49Constantly exposing ourselves to negative information, negative images, negative rhetoric

02:54is going to elevate our overall sense of negativity and stress, so we have some control there.

03:02Another thing that we encourage people to think about is engaging in meaningful activities,

03:06whether it's related to the election or to current societal issues or problems that are

03:12important to you.

03:14APA stresses that it is important to remain calm and maintain social relationships, as

03:19spending time with loved ones, an active lifestyle, and healthy eating and sleeping can all help

03:26reduce anxiety in the days before the election.

03:29Maxim Adams, VOA News, Washington.

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