Depression Due to Politics: the Quiet Danger to Democracy
On laptop screens, televisions and social media feeds across the nation, images and words fueled by a fractured political landscape spout anger, frustration and resentment. Clashing ideologies burst forth in public demonstrations, family gatherings and digital echo chambers.
Red-hot rhetoric and finger-pointing memes are open expressions of emotions generated by engaging in politics. But there is another set of emotions far less incendiary but just as damaging to democracy. These feelings can push people to the sidelines and drive them to silence.
Disappointment. Grief. Loss.
The reasons for this phenomenon, along with its effects on mental health, are the subject of a new book by 黑料百科 political science Professor .
In the book, published in June by The University of Chicago Press, Ojeda combines years of studying the intersection of politics and mental health with fresh data culled from surveys, studies and political polls, along with his own experiments and interviews.
(Ojeda 鈥淭he Sad Citizen鈥� on 鈥淭alking Policy,鈥� a podcast by the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation.)
Depression can compel people to withdraw from the democratic process, Ojeda said,聽and can sap the collective power of like-minded groups. Populations marginalized by race, gender or income are even more likely to be sidelined as political depression piles atop other societal pressures, he said.
This disengagement can lead to people being increasingly misrepresented by governments, which fosters more depression. It鈥檚 a vicious cycle, Ojeda said.
In the book, Ojeda takes a broad view of depression, seeing it as a family of emotions such as disappointment, sadness, despair and melancholy. Whether it is mild disillusionment or major depressive disorder, it affects people鈥檚 lives and their ability to take part in activities, including politics, he said.
Depression can compel people to withdraw from the democratic process, Ojeda said,聽and can sap the collective power of like-minded groups.
Sometimes politicians stoke depression intentionally, hoping it can lead to a political score. Ojeda writes about Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urging his fellow Republicans to emphasize President Joe Biden鈥檚 low approval ratings ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, when control of the U.S. Senate was up for grabs (the GOP controlled the House).
McConnell believed that drawing attention to Republican policy priorities risked turning Democrats鈥� disappointment in Biden 鈥渋nto anxiety over a Republican Congress, a feeling that would propel them to vote,鈥� Ojeda wrote.
As it turned out, Republicans underperformed in those midterms and Democrats held the Senate. Disappointment switched sides.
The results of last year鈥檚 presidential election stoked the emotions addressed in 鈥淭he Sad Citizen.鈥� Donald Trump鈥檚 return to the White House was cheered by his supporters, Ojeda said, but those who had hoped the U.S. was steering away from the Trump era were emotionally crushed.
In the months since the election, clashes of triumph and frustration have manifested in fiery social media posts, divisive policies and protesters marching in the streets. In short: action. But headlines also speak of the losing side being adrift, of its political leaders and voters unsure what to do next.
鈥淒epression leads us to withdraw,鈥� Ojeda said in an interview. 鈥淚f you think something is lost forever, it doesn鈥檛 make sense to keep pouring energy into getting it back.鈥�
In the book, Ojeda observes that democracy and depression are difficult, if not impossible, to separate. In elections, one side gets the brass ring and the other goes home. It鈥檚 part of the deal. Echo chambers breed misinformation and embrace polarized opinions but are a haven for people with similar ideologies.
鈥淲hile I don鈥檛 have all the answers, I try to point us toward a 鈥榩olitics without disruption,鈥欌�� he writes in 鈥淭he Sad Citizen.鈥� He said this means working to reduce directed outrage and negativity, thereby expanding space for healthier engagement. Campaigns should emphasize what they stand for and what they want to achieve, Ojeda said.
As for a prescription against depression caused by politics, Ojeda said he supports giving yourself a break from media apps or your finely curated social media feed (it鈥檚 called doom-scrolling for a reason). Turn off related phone notifications. Create some distance.
This doesn鈥檛 mean disengaging from democracy for all time, Ojeda said. Rather, the goal is to create time to determine what level of engagement is healthy and productive for you.
鈥淚t鈥檚 OK to step back and take care of your own well-being,鈥� Ojeda said. 鈥淵ou need to do this in order to be a responsible, democratic citizen.鈥�