A senior official of the Generalitat explained to me a few years ago that when he assumed his political responsibility he began to need sleeping pills and did not stop taking them. The pressure prevented him from sleeping. In the last two decades, the effect of politics on citizens has been studied a lot, especially of what Americans call political noise (crisping, excessive messages, fake news…), and it has been seen which affects mood and mental health, for example by increasing irritability and anxiety. But the mental health of politicians has been evaluated much less, with some exceptions, such as analyzes of the personality and behavior of Donald Trump during his presidency.
These days the issue has erupted in Spain when, surprisingly, we learned of the burnout of the Prime Minister, who has taken a few days of reflection to decide whether or not to continue in office. Pedro Sánchez explained that he has reached the limit due to the harassment of the right, especially when it extends to his wife. His wear and tear has a political side, but also a psychological one.
A study by researchers from several British universities published as early as 2018 in the Oxford University Press pointed out that the mental health of politicians is vital to the quality of democracy and indicated that the greater transparency that is imposed, the more direct relationship with citizens and social networks increase public scrutiny of politicians (and with it, often, ridicule and harassment and sexism in the case of politics), factors that increase their stress.
This is in addition to the usual stressors of the profession such as the expectations and public confidence they generate – the “we can” wins elections, a more realistic “no, we can’t”, no – and which disappoint if once in power do not fulfill the promises. Or the uncertainty of how long they will last in office and family reconciliation problems, among other aspects.
All this can cause in the politician stress, anxiety, the idea that he has no real power or that he is not suitable for the position, according to the researchers. A climate of public mistrust also destroys their mental health. And the study does not talk about pressure from the opposition. Although political leaders usually shield themselves with an excess of self-confidence and an intolerance of criticism, they do not escape the effect of pressure either.
