A recent Forbes survey found that more than 60% of Americans feel their mental health has been affected by the election cycle.
YORK, Pa. — With the 2024 election just 10 days away, a new survey finds voters are feeling stressed and anxious because of the election cycle.
According to Forbes magazine, 61% of Americans say their mental health has been negatively impacted by the election cycle.
“Every election cycle seems to get worse and worse. I don’t know what can be done to limit this campaigning,” said York resident John Monk.
John and Catherine Monk say they were stressed during the election. They added that the constant stream of political ads makes it difficult to watch television.
“It’s just kind of background noise because we don’t have any doubts about who we’re voting for,” Catherine Monk said.
Meanwhile, Joseph Dickerson said he continues to receive a flood of political text messages. He added that he blocks at least five text messages from his cell phone every day.
“It’s just a constant stream of messages saying, ‘Hey, vote this way,’ or ‘Hey, vote that way,'” Dickerson said.
Dr. Melissa Brown, a clinical psychologist at UPMC, said election fatigue has been affecting some of her clients for months. She said many people are anxious about voting and the choices they are about to make.
“They’re hearing the same rhetoric,” Dr. Brown said. “They’re hearing the same messages: One person is insulting another, why is this person inappropriate?” Ta.
As Election Day approaches, Dr. Brown said the best way to deal with stress is to simply step away from politics.
“If you see an ad on TV or radio, you can just mute it. On social media, you can just scroll past it,” Dr. Brown said.
