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November 10, 2008
Some mental-health experts suggest election outcome will promote stress relief
USA Today (11/6, Elias) reports, "Improved race relations and short-term relief from soaring stress levels are among the likely after-effects of Barack Obama's Tuesday night victory, say experts in mental health and race relations."
According to Richard Chaifetz, CEO of ComPsych, the largest US employee assistance mental health provider, "The emotion-filled election came at a time of great anxiety. ... Requests for counseling surged 40 percent in the past six months." Others say "many young Americans got a huge morale boost from the Obama victory."
But, "not everyone is thrilled with the outcome." Some Americans are worried that "higher taxes will discourage those who create wealth from continuing to do so." In addition, John Dovidio, Ph.D., "a Yale University psychologist who has studied unconscious racism for three decades," points out that Obama's victory "doesn't mean racism is over. ... Daily racism on the street is not going to disappear just because of the election."
Related Links:
- "How Obama's win may impact Americans' mental health," Marilyn Elias, USA Today, November 6, 2008.
Posted by admin at November 10, 2008 12:14 PM