US Therapists See Increase in Patients With ‘Trump Anxiety Disorder’

Therapists say there’s been a rise in anxiety stemming from the country’s politics, and it is being called “Trump Anxiety Disorder.”

A report from CBC News in Canada says that since President Trump was elected, mental health professionals in the United States have seen an increase in patients whose stress has come from politics.

A prevalent “symptom” of the “disorder” is feeling as though the world is going to end.

Elisabeth LaMotte, founder of the D.C. Counseling and Psychotherapy Center in Washington, D.C., said that some of her patients feel “on edge” about Trump’s decisions.

“It’s very disorienting and constantly unsettling,” LaMotte said.

LaMotte told CBC News, too, that even those who support the president feel isolated within social spaces or their families.

According to an essay written by psychologist Jennifer Panning, the symptoms of “Trump Anxiety Disorder” include “feeling a loss of control and helplessness, and fretting about what’s happening in the country and spending excessive time on social media.”

A 2017 poll by the American Psychological Organization also found that nearly half of its respondents said they were significantly stressed due to the country’s political climate.