A senior official of the Generalitat of Catalonia told me a few years ago that when he assumed his political responsibility he began to need sleeping pills and no longer gave them up. The pressure prevented him from sleeping. In the last two decades, the effect of politics on citizens has been studied a lot, especially what Americans call political noise (crispation, excess messages, fake news...), and it has been seen that it affects your mood and mental health, for example, increasing irritation and anxiety. But the mental health of politicians has been evaluated much less, with some exceptions, such as analyzes of Donald Trump's personality and behavior during his presidency.
These days, the issue has exploded in Spain when, surprisingly, we have learned of the burnout of the President of the Government, 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 in the face of harassment from the right, especially when it extends to his wife. His wear and tear has a political aspect, but also a psychological one.
A study by researchers from various British universities published in 2018 in the Oxford University journals pointed out that the mental health of politicians is vital for the quality of democracy and indicated that greater transparency, a more direct relationship with Citizenship and social media increase public scrutiny of politicians (and with it, often, ridicule and harassment and sexism in the case of female politicians), which increases their stress.
This is added to the usual stressors of the profession such as the expectations and public trust they generate – the “we can” wins elections, a more realistic “no, we can't”, no – and which disappoint if upon reaching the power do not keep their promises. Or the insecurity of how long they will last in office and the problems of family conciliation.
All of this can create stress, anxiety in politicians, the idea that they lack real power or that they are not suitable for the position, according to researchers. A climate of public distrust also destroys your mental health. And the study does not talk about pressure from the opposition. Although leaders tend to shield themselves with excess self-confidence and intolerance of criticism, they do not escape the effect of pressure either.
