US needs therapy for mass election panic attack writes Tom Minear

This US presidential campaign is very different to previous ones and has the country in the grip of a mass panic attack, writes Tom Minear.

During this week’s US election, students at a New York private school will be spared from homework and exams, and excused from class if they feel “too emotionally distressed”.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, in his inimitable way, said it was decisions like this that prompted him to transfer his son out of a school that charges $US65,000 ($99,000) a year in fees.

“What kind of lives have these people led that makes them think that this is the right way to handle young people? To encourage them to buckle,” he told The New York Times.

Democrats are telling voters that electing Donald Trump means installing an unhinged fascist who wants to terminate the constitution. Picture: AFP

It seems, however, that most Americans would love a similar reprieve from an election that has their country in the grip of a mass panic attack.

Last week, the American Psychological Association released research showing seven out of 10 adults cited the election as a significant source of stress in their lives. That is the highest level in recent elections, and it was recorded in a survey conducted back in August, not in the even more manic final days of the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

The polls are incredibly close. Misinformation is spreading. Voting rules are being challenged in the courts. Claims of cheating are rife. Fears of violence, even civil war, are widely shared.

Democrats are telling voters that electing the former president means installing an unhinged fascist who wants to terminate the constitution and unleash the military on his opponents, not to mention tear away their healthcare and benefits while driving up their cost of living.

Republicans are telling voters that electing the Vice President will lead America into World War III, forcing their sons and daughters to fight while their borders are overrun by illegal immigrants, making this the last election and meaning they will not have a country left.

New research shows seven out of 10 adults cite the election as a significant source of stress in their lives. Picture: AFP

These claims – exaggerated as some may be – are repeated verbatim by ordinary Americans nationwide. A whopping 87 per cent of voters told a Wall Street Journal poll last week they believed the US would suffer permanent damage if their candidate lost.

So while private schools give kids a day off, news outlets everywhere are offering tips to reduce election stress. Some are straightforward: go outside, exercise, sleep well, avoid social media, meditate, see friends. Others are more pointed: walk away from heated conversations, acknowledge other people’s concerns, avoid name-calling.

The US feels like a country in need of therapy. Good luck to the winner that has to treat that.

Originally published as US needs therapy for mass election panic attack writes Tom Minear