A Journalist’s Battle With Anxiety

We see them on TV, hear their voices on the radio, and read their stories over the Internet or the morning papers But, at the end of the day the journalists that weave stories on the field are human beings too. They are subjected to the same pressures and are also at risk with several mental health challenges along the way. In fact, many journalists are in constant battle with anxiety. Journalist Emilie McMeekan in a story in the Daily Mail started to experience anxiety when she was about to turn 40 years old. She began to experience frightening anxiety attacks. The attacks were too intense, the anxiety threatened to end her happy, settled world. McMeekan is not alone. It is perhaps noteworthy to pinpoint, this is the age of anxiety. There are about eight million cases of anxiety diagnosed in the United Kingdom alone. Women are twice likely to be diagnosed with anxiety disorders than men. Journalists being pressured Journalists are being subjected to pressure whether chasing a story or beating the deadline. As a war correspondent, the demands are greater since you need to also protect your own life while on the battlefield. Journalists are also being subjected to death threats. Not only that, there is unimaginable online abuse causing much stress and anxiety to journalists. When the demands of journalism increase, its adverse effects on the journalists’ performance also increase. The end result would be intense anxiety which may later develop into a disorder. Journalists’ works are consistently under a microscope. The reading populace and the audience are being subjected to intense scrutiny. One wrong move, even if it is a misplaced punctuation mark, can start a huge firestorm online. The fact remains that journalists who are challenged with mental health problems are suffering in silence. Most of the journalists out there are refusing to recognize the problem and refusing to reach out. It is time for journalists who are chronically exposed to harrowing situations to reach out and get the help they can get for better mental health. The journalist is a human being subjected to the same feeling of fear, and the overflowing of emotions both good and bad. Feelings of anxiety do not exempt even the most veteran journalists. There is a huge need for managers and senior officials of news organizations to finally take a look at the mental well-being of the field reporters. Journalists who witness battlefield scenarios, soldiers getting killed, and children getting separated from their parents may end up with bad experiences impacting their mental health. Help for journalists Sadly, there is little being done to help journalists battle anxiety or prevent the development of anxiety disorders. Journalists too suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder just like soldiers do. The work-related PTSD may end up causing dramatic changes and may scar the journalist for life. As such, mental health programs for journalists should be institutionalized the way we protect workers in other industries in relation to workplace safety.