What Is The Influence Of Politics On Mental Health?
Politics has a great influence on our lives, being one of the central elements of the society in which we live.
Therefore, it is inevitable that, in one way or another, it affects people at very different levels. One of them is mental health. In this article we will try to analyze that relationship between politics and mental health and thus discover the effects it can exert, both negative and positive, if any.
How does politics influence mental health and emotional balance?
The question of the influence of politics on mental health is broad and complex, so it can be studied from different perspectives. Therefore, in these lines we are going to discuss some of these effects, but that does not mean that they are the only ones, far from it, since other additional approaches could be considered.
And politics, or what is the same, the art of governing, It is an axis of our lives, although we get involved to a greater or lesser extent in it Due to this issue, it is difficult to abstract from all of its effects. Each individual will be affected to a different degree or through different means, but what is certain is that all citizens, by virtue of living in a society, are affected by politics.
In any case, we are going to review what we consider to be the main forms of influence of politics on mental health. Although we will see each one in depth later, first we will list these different possibilities. One of them will be the one that has to do with the possible psychological effects suffered by exposure to political issues in the media
Another, of enormous importance, will be the decisions made by the rulers related to health, and more specifically, those that cover the field of mental health. Finally, we will analyze another issue related to the influence of politics on mental health, and that concerns the consequences that politicians themselves suffer as a result of their profession.
Below, we will discuss each of these points separately, trying to delve deeper into each of these very different approaches, but all of them being part of the central theme, which is the influence of politics on mental health.
Psychological effects of politics on citizens
As we already mentioned in the introduction, one of the most visible forms of influence of politics on mental health is that which has to do with the psychological effects that people suffer as a consequence, not only of the decisions that rulers make at a given moment, but also of the political climate that exists in society
In that sense, it will be necessary to distinguish different variables that are involved in this problem. Firstly, of course, not all people are equally interested in the political affairs of their region or country. Furthermore, not everyone will be affected by certain decisions in the same way, since certain laws only affect specific sectors.
Thirdly, there are the personal variables of each individual, which can make them more or less resilient and they can have certain resources to assume situations, for example, stressful ones, without suffering certain consequences that others, in a similar scenario, would feel. .
We see that the influence of politics on mental health is direct, simply due to the fact of living in a community. But also, This effect is accentuated if the person tends to expose themselves to these issues through the media or social networks especially in recent times.
It is evident that in societies like Spain, the political landscape has entered a state of polarization and tension in which each party tries to influence its voters in an extreme way, competing with the rest of the formations at a level of aggressiveness that would make make some fans of sports clubs blush, accustomed to confrontations with the opposing stands.
This state of tension generates psychological effects in many individuals, who may experience symptoms compatible with depression or anxiety, among others. Obviously, if the socioeconomic situation that exists at a certain time is especially unstable, due to a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the influence of politics on mental health further aggravates its effects.
Is it inevitable to suffer these effects? Not at all. Obviously, the individual lives in society and therefore is exposed to all the information related to the political panorama, but what he can do is a certain stimulating control.
What does this mean? That the person will be able, at least in part, to reduce his presence on social networks, his review of the press, television news and other media through which he constantly receives a type of information that is causing him stress. We cannot forget the world we live in, but we can control to a certain extent the degree of exposure to which we are subjected.
Political decisions about mental health
But the influence of politics on mental health does not end there. This first point would mean an indirect form of psychological impact on citizens. But we cannot forget that The policy itself must be in charge of managing the resources that are invested in each area, including, of course, health
And within healthcare, the area that concerns us is mental health. Therefore, any law, decision, budget that has to do with this area will be a direct example of the influence of politics on mental health.
It is evident that The more resources are allocated to treating and preventing psychopathologies, the lower the prevalence of many mental disorders and this will have a direct impact on the well-being of citizens, both for those who do not develop a disease, and for those who manage to have it treated and controlled.
We must also not forget the relatives of people with severe mental illness and therefore dependent on them, who often feel helpless by the system due to the lack of resources they receive. This is another example of the forms that the influence of politics on mental health can take, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly.
If we now focus on the most serious and dramatic cases, such as those psychopathologies that lead the individual to self-harm attempts and even to try to take their own life, we find another of the fundamental connections between political decisions and health, in this case mental. In Spain, almost ten people commit suicide every day, according to statistics
It is an absolute drama, which sometimes does not receive all the attention it deserves. Obviously, each case will be particular, but many of them will be related to psychopathologies that, perhaps, if they had been treated in time or even prevented, would not have ended in such a terrible way. That is why we should not overlook the tremendous influence of politics on mental health in this sense.
The psychological effects on politicians
We have already been able to review some of the psychological effects that politics generates in citizens, through different mechanisms. We have also known the repercussions that political decisions in the area of ​​health can have on the mental health of individuals. But there is still another issue that also involves the influence of politics on mental health.
These are the psychological effects that politicians themselves, or at least some of them, suffer as a consequence of the performance of their work, on the front line of this sector. It is evident that, Like any position of responsibility, this work can involve wear and tear that will be more or less pronounced depending on the tools that the person has, as we have already seen.
A fundamental characteristic in this sense would be resilience, the ability to overcome adverse situations, such as the constant tension generated by knowing that the well-being of millions of fellow citizens depends on the person’s own activity, which can be an enormous stressor. .
The current situation may increase this effect or attenuate it, assuming that instead of a crisis scenario, society is in a moment of economic prosperity In any case, it is a form of political influence on mental health that we must take into account.
