![Psychological Stress and Political News]()
Psychological Stress and Political News
Dear Friends,
Late last year in a progress update, IMCRA detailed an addition to our basic PTSD/TBI program focusing on the mental stresses resulting from the widely-acknowledged current of intolerance, belligerence and polarization now dividing the country. After numerous reports appeared in the popular and medical press describing how media reporting of outrages in the political, international and domestic spheres have produced an acute exacerbation of underlying psychopathologies, we felt that the program had to be modified to address a root cause of the disturbances we were seeing in our target population.
As we noted then, psychological assessments over the last few years have shown most mental health indicators pointing in the wrong direction. For those now suffering from PTSD at some level, especially veterans and peace officers, this re-emergence of hatred, intolerence, xenophobia and racial discord as prominent and acceptable news items been perceived and processed in two ways: First, as a justification and release for the darker impulses engendered by the disorder; Second, as a cause for hopelessness for those whose experiences with violence, anger and misery have already scarred them for a lifetime.
Since the re-orientation of our efforts began, there have been literally dozens of new incidents, including most tragically, the mass murders at American schools. It is a rare week when there is no report of a new instance of public hatred and intolerance or deadly gun-related violence. Paradoxically, hatred and violence appear to be self-nourishing phenomena in this country. The unified repugnance and wholesale condemnation which should follow even a single report of such incidents is nowhere in evidence. Instead, the political polarization and anger becomes even more profound.
The research IMCRA has conducted on the sources of this continual poisoning of the American psyche has turned up something of exceptional interest. It appears that a not insignificant number of politically-motivated and funded organizations exist which daily mass-transmit a nationwide barrage of exceptionally divisive emails specifically designed to foster disharmony, polarization, anger and intolerance. A review of the titles of these mails is instructive: "Open Rebellion", "Civil War!", "Liberals UNMASKED", "Islam Invades", "Patriots ERUPT", "This is WAR", "CODE RED", "Gun Owner?" "Protect Trump", "Obama Unmasked" etc. A sample reading of one of these mails yields headline messages like: "TREASON! - Leak Reveals George Soros Teamed Up With Obama To Do THIS to America", with core statements like the following direct quote: "Friend, I'm going to be honest... I haven't been this angry in a long time. Liberals and the mainstream media have stooped to a new low this week -- all to try and bring down the President at whatever the cost!"
These mailings go out by the millions at the rate of at least a dozen each day and are aimed primarily at veterans, the elderly and segments of the American population likely to be most responsive. They are calculated to evoke an intense visceral response and are difficult to ignore. To the extent we've been able to identify, many originate with real or shadow organizations with political underpinnings. However, there is a distinction between pursuit of a political agenda and the reality of exacerbating psychopathologies in already mentally-compromised populations.
A critical initial step in our efforts to stem the flow of psychological poison is investigating what can be done to curtail or offset the worst aspects of this hate-filled agitation and demonization of fellow Americans, especially when veterans and peace officers are the targets. To that end we have enlisted the aid of faculty specializing in the etiology of chronic emotional and mental distress. This is a new field of medical response dealing with very new developments in the electronic concomitants of mental illness. Thus, in addition to your support we are very interested in receiving any suggestions or insights you may have into finding new ways to combat this important and growing problem.
Sincerely,
The IMCRA Team
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Political manipulation of the elderly
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The Consequences of Intolerance
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