Mental health experts worry about war-news overload
(Via The Command Post)
There is no real news available, you KNOW there is no real news available, and yet you feel compelled to watch endless war coverage (he says as he is watching CNN's coverage of the war). You're wondering if something might be wrong with you; hell, there just may be. This is America, after all, where the is a syndrome for everything....
(March 25, 10:17 p.m. AST) - The constantly changing kaleidoscope of live warfare beamed out of Iraq by hundreds of broadcast journalists has captured the attention of most Americans, but some are starting to suffer collateral damage to their mental health, experts say.
"People feel that the more information they have, the more they're going to feel some sense of control. But there's no way to master all the information and competing opinions coming from the television news programming," said Dr. Jason Kornrich, director of outpatient mental health services at Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, N.Y."It just kind of leads to one big emotional mess in people who focus too heavily on it."
Going into the weekend, ratings for cable news channels were up several hundred percent each, while the telecast for Sunday night's Oscars drew the fewest viewers ever recorded.
Across the nation, wartime viewing habits are varied, even in the same household.
"I've been watching it all the way 'til midnight before I go to bed," said Kenneth Shaffer of Susanville, Calif. But his wife, Susan, is purposely limiting her exposure to war coverage, watching only the nightly news as she always does. "It's kind of like 9/11. I just don't want to get to the point that I'm so depressed by it," she said.
Tony Davis of Birmingham, Ala., took his daughter to a fair Sunday to take a break from watching the news. "You've got to get it off your mind for a little while," said Davis, who has cousins and friends deployed to Iraq. "You're on edge, worrying and praying for everyone."
Those with loved ones in the Gulf region regard the images as both an incredible link with sons, daughters and spouses and a frightening window on what they're up against.
"You can't keep yourself from being glued to TV news, even if you want to take a break," said Jim Arnett of Knoxville, Tenn., whose son is a captain with the 3rd Infantry Division in battle south of Baghdad.
"People are horrified by it, but it's almost like you can't stop watching," Gainesville, Fla., psychologist David Bailey said. "The media are forcing us to deal with this is a much more firsthand way than we ever have before."
Of course, with war in Iraq being broadcast live into our living rooms 24/7, it's understandable that some folks might not be dealing so well with the realities of war. I find the coverage compelling, and I'm not sure that I could really tell you why. I know there isn't much hard news out there- watching former senior officers play consultant gets old- but what is available is both terrible and fascinating.
I'm going to try and force myself to enjoy life a bit more and watch less television. It's not as if the war is going anywhere anytime soon.
