Mental suffering linked to politics increases in the final stretch of the campaign

24 hours after the results of the first round of elections were announced, psychologist Mário Felipe de Lima Carvalho was contacted by three patients from his private practice in Rio de Janeiro. They were black people, from the northeast, two of them women, who reported xenophobic attacks at work and asked to advance the therapy session.

Other cases came. The following week, the psychologist, who coordinates the Voices and Colors listening project for LGBTQIA+ people at Uerj (Rio de Janeiro State University), had to organize an online meeting on political suffering to meet the demand.

Participants were college students up to 22 years old, worried about the future, and people over 60, who talked about their children and grandchildren.

A woman of this age group, lesbian and married, said that her adopted daughter, who is black, began to receive accusatory looks from neighbors of the building where they live, in the south of the city.

“There is this discomfort, this fear of an escalation in violence. For now, the complaints revolve around looks, comments, moral harassment. The fear is that this will turn into physical violence. This harassment has effects, such as anxiety and fear crises to go out on the street”, says the teacher.

The scenario observed by mental health professionals is the same in different states of the country.

On the one hand, patients feel threatened by the votes received by President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and his supporters; on the other hand, patients feel threatened by the possible return of ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

“Many people were expecting that the presidential election would be resolved in the first round – and that expectation was broken. The effect on some was anxiety and fear. and physical exhaustion”, says psychologist Lucas Veiga, who works with patients from all over the country.

Experts estimate that, for many Brazilians, the division seen in 2018 – when politics became the subject of consultations – intensified in this election.

“There is a much greater dimension of urgency. The precariousness of living conditions associated with the psychic effects of the coronavirus pandemic formed a worrying culture broth with regard to mental health”, says Ronildo da Silva, psychoanalyst and postgraduate student in Philosophy at the UFPA (Federal University of Pará), which is witnessing this aggravation in the private practice and in the public network of Belém.

Psychiatrist and doctor in neuropsychiatry and behavioral sciences from UFPE (Federal University of Pernambuco) Tiago Queiroz says that, as the election day approached, reports of anxiety, concern and interpersonal conflicts increased.

“After the first round, they continue to grow. In addition to the anxiety of those who already had one of the two options [Lula ou Bolsonaro] defined, there are also others, who preferred another candidate and would now have to choose a name. It also provoked disagreements and conflicts between people,” he says.

From the 2018 experience, some voters learned to balance political engagement with self-care practices. For others, the elections have acted as a trigger, rescuing traumas, feelings of fear, anguish and conflicts, adds Queiroz.

Marcia Almeida Batista, director of the Ana Maria Poppovic psychological clinic, at PUC-SP, in São Paulo, says that, for the first time in 48 years as a therapist, she came across patients suffering because of the vote.

“There is a depression in relation to Brazil that arrives at the office. This indicates a serious and great emotional impact not only on what is happening in the elections, but on the country in general”, he says.

In relationships with family and friends, clashes gave way to silencing in an attempt to avoid breakups. This change in behavior is a reflection of the pandemic, which made us think about what is most important in life, says Marcia.

“Families that were threatened by the pandemic and lost family members, somehow rethought their political fights in the face of the destruction of relationships.

Stop talking about politics has been the main strategy adopted by patients of the psychologist and professor at UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais) Fabio Belo.

“The most frequent option is the pact of silence. Family relationships are complex. There is a lot of affection and history that go beyond. Political positions have generated enormous stress. You have a real breakup between father and son, grandson and grandparents. malaise is very present”.

Fabio Belo adds that the weakening of family relationships due to political differences began to come to the office after the 2014 elections. This year, he says that he heard patients in crisis when they discovered the divergent political position of their husband or wife.

For many, dialogue has become rare. Weekly football, going to the club and visiting the uncle became unbearable activities for forcing the coexistence with voters of the rival candidate.

These changes in routine serve as an indication of the degree of emotional interference caused by the lawsuit. Sadness, sleep disturbance, appetite and irritability are some of the signs to watch out for.

Professionals reinforce that it is important to have self-care practices in this period and also to seek professional care, if necessary. Having leisure activities, seeking support groups and avoiding abusive use of social networks are practices that help.

In the field of affective relationships, the recommendation is that the person strengthens bonds with those who can share anguish about the period. In relationships where there is disagreement, temporary separation may be the best option.

For psychiatrist Tiago Queiroz (UFPE), an important step in self-analysis is learning to respect the divergent opinion of the other. Recognizing this is something that contributes to mental health.