Therapists Say Patients Are Plagued by 'Trump Anxiety Disorder,' Which Is Both Not & Very Real

Just as a reality TV show is always in danger of cancellation, so too is a nation run by a reality TV star, whether that cancellation be by nuclear annihilation, climate disaster, economic collapse, fundamentalist religious uprising, or all of us yelling, “FUCK IT” and fleeing to Finland. The stress of existing at the behest of a stupid, careless, and oft-outright villainous president who makes a lot of bad tweets is a lot to bear on a daily basis, so much so that therapists say they’ve seen in increase in “Trump Anxiety Disorder” since Donald Trump was elected in 2016. That’s not an official diagnosis, but it might as well be.

According to the CBC, which I assume published this investigative piece to mock us for electing Trump when they have Justin Trudeau, therapists across the United States have seen an uptick in patients suffering from Trump-related agitation. Patients express anxiety over whether or not Trump’s policies will be apocalyptic (a reasonable fear); over whether Trump will nullify their LGBTQ marriages (also reasonable); over whether Trump’s Supreme Court pick will overturn Roe v. Wade (another very realistic concern); and, generally, over what the state of an increasingly polarized nation and global society will look like after Trump & Buddies lay waste to it.

“There is a fear of the world ending,” Elisabeth LaMotte, a therapist and the founder of the D.C. Counseling and Psychotherapy Center, told the CBC. “It’s very disorienting and constantly unsettling.” Clinical psychologist Jennifer Panning was the first to dub that fear “Trump Anxiety Disorder,” with symptoms including feelings of helplessness and loss of control, in addition to a general preoccupation with the state of the country. The “disorder” also includes an obsession with social media, which I assume means New York Media Twitter is heavily afflicted.

The American Psychological Association has seen reportedly seen a noted five percent increase in political anxiety since the 2016 election, with American stress levels overall the highest they’ve been in a decade. In February 2017, two-thirds of Americans noted feeling stress over the state of the nation, one that correlated with political affiliation (Democrats were more likely to be stressed than Republicans) and whether or not someone spends too much time Logged On.

Meanwhile, CBC’s reporting found that some Trump supporters are also suffering from increased anxiety over “getting pounced on” and called “racist” and “fascist” by anti-Trump family members and social media connections. To them, I extend an invitation to the sad trombone and tiniest violin concert I plan to hold for the poor Trump supporters in D.C. who can’t get anyone to fuck them.