Catastrophe and the Media

By Lloyd I Sederer MD

I think I know how you feel.

The world around us, through no fault of our own, is collapsing. Even – now especially - in America.

A deluge of miserable information clutters our TV, radio stations, and print media. It’s still there after a night of not so restful sleep. That must mean something! Well beyond, “I forgot to buy the milk...” Or a birthday or anniversary, or, inexcusably, the beer, wine, and nachos.

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Why is the itch still there? Not going away? Wanting to be scratched, putting pressure on our mental exit door. That’s not the time to blunt its demand with the variety of psychoactive drugs or behaviors we have ready access to. They can work but only delay the day of reckoning.

If you are still with me, consider the times you’ve not scratched whatever your “itch” may be.

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If you let it stew, to mix metaphors, you could break out in hives, yell at the dog who was sleeping pacifically, even start smoking again. You may have thought, after successfully steeling yourself, “I got that”. Ha!

But be kind, try to forgive yourself. You are made of hydrogen and water. And remember, we humans are resilient, adaptive too. Our species made it to today, not only the insects, some reptiles, amphibians and fish. Unlike the dinosaurs, we made it as a species.

While I try not to, I am still riveted by catastrophic media. Are you? Even though I am told (tell others too) to turn off the “looping” TV or radio. I know about my body’s stress hormones, like cortisol and epinephrine. They burst from my glands when I feel stressed, raising my blood pressure and pulse, building nasty plaques in the arteries of my heart and brain.

But to turn down the stress, control those hormones, we will need help from a spouse, partner, or a kid wise beyond their years. One good reason our survival and longevity is tied to being social creatures, with a good deal of our early life protected by a mother and the rest of our family.

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Consider. Why should you be suffering while buying expensive cars, homes, and holidays in the Caribbean for TV producers and advertisers?

I can assure you I am writing this counsel for me, not only for you. I think it is working. I turned off MSNBC some time ago this evening, petted my dog, had some ice cream, and wrote this blog (for no pay). I think I may not have too turbulent a sleep ahead.

You too?

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Dr. Lloyd Sederer is a psychiatrist, public health doctor, and non-fiction writer.

www.askdrlloyd.com