Politics Is Taking a Toll on People's Well-Being

""If a new vaping product or soft drink hits the market and 1 in 20 consumers report suicidal thoughts, public outrage would be swift. Investigations would follow, regulations would tighten, and headlines would be flooded with concern for public health. But when political stress yields similar numbers, the reaction is far more muted; politics doesn't seem to register in the same way," says Smith."

"The American Psychological Association's 2024 Stress in America survey revealed that 77 percent of Americans reported the nation's future as a significant source of stress, with 56 percent fearing that the recent election could mark the end of democracy itself. What is the true cost of political stress on our mental health, and how can we protect ourselves from its toll? Smith describes politics as a pervasive and largely unavoidable source of chronic stress. Unlike workplace or family stress, which have moments of respite, political stress is relentless-especially fueled by social media and 24/7 news cycles."

""We don't know if it's causal," Smith warns, "but the alarming correlation between political stress and suicidal ideation is concerning." He emphasizes the need for further studies to grasp the effects of political stress on well-being."

National surveys show that 40 percent of U.S. adults identify politics as a major stressor and about 5 percent report suicidal thoughts linked to political events. The American Psychological Association found 77 percent of Americans stressed about the nation's future and 56 percent fearing the recent election could threaten democracy. Political stress is described as pervasive and chronic, intensified by social media and continuous news cycles, offering little respite compared with other stressors. Affective polarization increases animosity toward political opponents. Researchers note an alarming correlation between political stress and suicidal ideation and call for further studies to understand causation and protective interventions.

Read at Psychology Today