Trump Is Making America Anxious

Politico: “During normal times, therapists say, their sessions deal with familiar themes: relationships, self-esteem, everyday coping. Current events don’t usually invade. But numerous counselors said Trump and his convulsive effect on America’s national conversation is giving politics a prominence on the psychologist’s couch not seen since the months after 9/11—another moment in which events were frightening in a way that had widespread emotional consequences.”

“Empirical data bolsters the anecdotal reports from practitioners. The American Psychiatric Association in a May survey found that 39% of people said their anxiety level had risen over the previous year—and 56 percent were either ‘extremely anxious’ or ‘somewhat anxious’ about the impact of politics on daily life. A 2017 study found two-thirds of Americans’ see the nation’s future as a ‘very or somewhat significant source of stress.'”