Image by: Canva: A crowd of young people protesting in the streets.
The world is more interconnected than ever, thanks to the internet and social media. We can now witness events unfolding thousands of miles away from us in real time. With the current war taking place in the Gaza Strip, we are all able to watch the violence as it happens. What are the mental health outcomes of viewing these horrific events, and what can we do to protect ourselves?
Mental and Physical Outcomes
The question of whether children should be allowed to play violent video games has been highly debated and studied, but it is not as common to hear people advocate for taking breaks from watching the news. A study by Madan, Mrug, and Wright found that brief exposures to televised violence increased the state of anxiety in college students. The same study found that exposure to real-life violence appears to increase systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Long-term exposure would lead to higher blood pressure and clinical hypertension.
A study by Pfefferbaum and Nelson found a strong positive association between watching man-made disaster news and psychological outcomes. These outcomes include Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, stress reactions, anger, dreams, alcohol drinking, negative emotion, and complicated grief. Man-made disasters like war are significantly more likely to cause PTSD than natural disasters.
The internet has led to an increased exposure of people to violent images. This can result in desensitization. When a person is repeatedly exposed to a stimulus (in this case, the stimulus would be a graphic image), the intensity of their reaction will diminish over time. At first glance, this can be seen as a positive thing, and in some cases, it can be. Systematic desensitization is a therapeutic technique, but in the case of exposure to violence, we should not be consuming violence to the point that we are no longer phased by it. This can reduce our empathy for others and, in extreme cases, can cause people to commit violent acts themselves.
It is important to be empathetic, but if it causes distress, it is important to step away. There is a balance between staying informed and exposing yourself to traumatic images.
How Can We Protect Ourselves?
This is an issue that I have struggled with myself. In cases of human suffering, there is guilt involved in looking away from the images. It is important to be empathetic, but if it causes distress, it is important to step away. There is a balance between staying informed and exposing yourself to traumatic images. I have found it helpful to discuss the feelings of frustration I have with friends. If possible, join a protest and get involved in groups that are providing relief to those who are suffering. Sharing your experiences and feelings with a group helps to remind you that you are not alone.
PTSD: Signs and Symptoms
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): “ a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event”
To be diagnosed an adult must experience:
- One more more re-experiencing symptoms such as recurring flashbacks, reliving the event
- One more more avoidance symptoms such as avoiding people, places, objects that remind them of the event
- Two or more reactivity/arousal symptoms such as trouble sleeping and feeling on guard
- Two or more cognition/mood symptoms such as feelings of social isolation and ongoing negative emotions
- Diagnosis must be done by a professional.
Perspectives From a Psychology Student
To expand further on the topic of current news and its impact on mental health, I discussed the war in Gaza with a Purdue University student participating in a lab on the topic. The lab they are involved in is analyzing the mental health effects on Palestinian and Arab individuals since October 7th. From personal observation, they have seen a positive correlation between people having friends and/or family in Palestine
Image by: Canva: Young people protesting with bullhorn in the street.
and feelings of worry and distress about their loved ones’ well-being. People who have stated that they have lost friends and/or family correlate it to experiencing mental health symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The same can be said about derealization and numbness.
Through personal experience on the Purdue campus, they have seen students attending protests and vigils in support of the Palestinian people. They can see the mental toll the violence is having on the students. There are students who have recently found out they have lost loved ones. Many people are feeling desensitized and numb. It is clear on their faces that many of them are emotionally exhausted. Students have expressed that they are feeling survivors’ guilt due to the fact that they are not in a country that is being targeted.
Students have been doing so much to raise awareness, yet it can feel as though their efforts are not being heard by the University and the country at large. Returning to the topic of media coverage, based on what they have seen on social media, there is a lot of graphic coverage of what is occurring in Palestine, and they find it upsetting to see. They can’t imagine what it is like to be Palestinian and seeing it.
Understanding the Intersections of Trauma
To provide more insight on the mental health aspects, I spoke to a psychology professor at Loyola who specializes in clinical mental health counseling. We discussed the state of the world right now. There are a lot of individual traumas from resettling after the pandemic, abuse, neglect, etc. When active war, resettling, natural disasters, and images of citizens as collateral damage are layered on top, this can retrigger trauma reactions. As stated in my earlier discussion, personal connections can make it even harder to heal from trauma. Groups of people are being retraumatized over and over again because of current events. This also applies to people who don’t have a trauma history. Images of war are very difficult to view, as this is the reason why people who experience war face PTSD.
Addressing Burnout and Self-Care
We discussed activist burnout in relation to the earlier discussion with the Purdue student. It is common for activists to feel as though there are so many things to fix; this is hard to balance for one person. This can cause burnout, as their bodies shut down from the mental and physical strain. It is important to take breaks to process the information that you are being exposed to. Feeling empathy for the struggles of others is admirable, but in order to help others, you have to also manage your own mental and physical health.
