An Oct. 22 study from the American Psychological Association shows that 69% of Americans surveyed said the 2024 election was a significant stress on their life. That's up 17% from 52% in 2016. With many issues affecting the lives of Americans hanging in the balance, the discussion around mental health preservation has become a massive one nationally and statewide in Colorado.
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Jaylin Goodloe, a licensed marriage and family therapist who is the Director of Mental Health Services for The Center on Colfax, is ready for a busy week ahead.
"We have definitely received an influx in services over the last two months or so because the election has been creating anxieties for people," she said.
The mental health arm of the LGBTQ center in Denver is a little over a year old but has seen a lot of election-related anxiety.
"The main concern is of course marriage rights and what will happen to everything with everything related to our community because we don't know what will happen," Goodloe adds.
That need for mental health services around Election Day has climbed from 2016 to 2020 and may reach an apex in 2024. Past studies with the National Suicide and Crisis Hotline as well as the Crisis Help Line have shown notable increases in call volume on Election Day and the periods of time afterward.
"I think we have seen politics shift and become this personally identifiable thing in every way shape or form," says Leanne Rupp, a licensed clinical social worker who is the Executive Director for the Colorado chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
"What we're seeing and hearing is certainly an uptick anecdotally in the stress and anxiety levels in current clients and also people seeking services and support for the first time," she said.
Many of the coping strategies including unplugging, practicing mindfulness and grounding exercises. But one of the difficulties within the LGBTQ and other communities is the idea that unplugging is impossible. Goodloe and Rupp told CBS Colorado it's an understandable dilemma but unplugging doesn't have to mean removing oneself from the issues in the world.
"There's definitely a difference between staying informed and stressing yourself out or being hyperfixated on something," Goodloe said.
"It's about that balancing act. Trying to see into what you're going to do on a day-to-day basis ... minute to minute," Rupp added.
Both the Crisis Help Line and The Center on Colfax have resource guides for managing stress and anxiety as well as events to help individuals struggling with stress on Election Day and afterward.
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