Crazy politics, beware of "election syndrome"! Famous psychiatrists teach "4 tricks" to ease pre-election anxiety
If you can’t eat or sleep well before the election, beware of “election syndrome” affecting your life
The local public office elections are less than a week away. If you are overly worried about the candidate you support losing, should you pay attention to this as a sign of “election syndrome”? Dr. Yang Congcai, director of Yang Congcai Clinic, said in an interview that election syndrome is not an official name for the disease, but it has been clinically observed that voters or candidates are prone to anxiety, insomnia, emotional instability and other symptoms before elections because they are concerned about the election situation.
“Just like not getting into the ideal school or department in the college entrance examination, the failure of the political party or candidate you supported may also lead to mental illness!” Dr. Yang Congcai pointed out that after the election, if people feel a sense of loss and stress disorder, they will be unable to eat due to the election results. If you have difficulty eating or sleeping, or even have symptoms related to depression, you must go to a psychiatrist or seek psychological consultation to avoid affecting your daily life.
Could pre-election anxiety worsen mental illness? He had a paranoid attack and wanted to “seek justice” for the candidate
Dr. Yang Congcai further pointed out that clinical anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobia and “election syndrome” are different in degree. The symptoms of election syndrome are similar to “Adjustment Disorder”, and the symptoms usually gradually resolve as the stress is relieved (such as when the election is over).
However, there are still certain ethnic groups who are obsessed with elections, leading to serious mental illness. Dr. Yang Congcai shared the case of a 50-year-old man: The patient had a history of delusional disorder. He was too involved in the election and forgot to take medication on time, which caused the symptoms to seriously worsen. The candidate he supported was defeated, which made the condition worse and made him unable to Control your emotions effectively.
“The patient was even convinced of conspiracy theories such as politicians manipulating the election and rigging votes. In a state of extreme anger and disappointment, he even claimed that he wanted to ‘seek justice’ for the candidates he supported.”
Dr. Yang Congcai said that the patient was finally brought to the hospital by his family for treatment due to severe delusions. The family told the doctor that his anger caused him to suffer from insomnia for nearly a month, so the top priority was to solve his sleep problems and alleviate the imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. After the patient’s condition has initially improved after treatment prescribed by the doctor, psychological treatment will be arranged to help the patient understand his illness. “We need to let the patients know that the election is temporary. If you lose the election this time, just come back next time!”
How to take care of your mental health before an election? Doctor: Being able to eat, move, sleep, and laugh is the most important thing!
As for how voters can take care of their mental health during the general election? Dr. Yang Congcai said that people can grasp the following four principles to help relieve anxiety and tension:
Be able to eat: Eat three regular meals in a regular amount, drink plenty of water to help metabolism, supplement nutrition in a balanced way to maintain the basic functions of the body, and taking good care of your physical condition can also help your mental health.
Be active: To develop a good habit of exercise, you can refer to the “333 Principle” (exercise 3 times a week, 30 minutes each time, heart rate up to 130 beats per minute), moderate-intensity aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, Playing ball, etc. are all feasible measures, and the principle is to be slightly panting and sweating.
Ability to sleep: In order to follow the election, many people stay up online to read news and follow current events, which can easily affect their sleep and disrupt their work and rest. Dr. Yang Congcai reminded that the human body’s golden sleep period is from 11 pm to 6 am, and people should avoid crazy elections that interfere with normal sleep time.
Able to laugh. Let yourself laugh out loud for more than 5 minutes every day, and you can also try to practice smiling. The method is to hold a pencil in front of the mirror and try to make your mouth form a U shape for at least 15 minutes. This will help the brain secrete “endorphins” and make your mood happy. In addition, chatting with relatives and friends, singing to express emotions, and participating in social activities can also help to laugh from the heart.
In addition, Dr. Yang Congcai also called on the public to practice “abdominal breathing” 20 times each in the morning, noon, evening and before going to bed, or write a gratitude diary before going to bed to secrete the “happy hormone” serotonin, which helps Improve your mood and reduce the frequency of nightmares. Finally, if people experience unexplainable tension, anxiety or even depression, whether before or after the election, it is recommended that they seek psychiatric treatment as soon as possible to clarify their symptoms.
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