Although anxieties may have been high leading up to this month's elections, some experts say post-election anxieties may be on the rise.
It's hard for Dr. Jeff McDaniels to say definitively if more people will start to seek out therapy or other mental health services after the election. One thing the Upstate Medical University psychiatrist does know is that for people already accessing services, the election is on their minds.
"I see so many of these, would be already established patients, that I am expecting to see anyways and they are bringing these concerns up in session or afterward," McDaniels said. "So it's people I would already be seeing anyway, so I haven't seen a huge influx but I would imagine some people would be seeing some."
McDaniels said there's a wide range of emotions, positive to negative when it comes to elections. He said it's important to validate the emotions but to remember we've been here before.
"We've had close elections before, we've had contentious elections before and I think it's important to keep things in perspective," McDaniels said. "A lot of what I tell patients is 'Look, the system is big, the government has a lot of safety built-in. At the end of the day no matter who was elected president, we are going to be OK.'"
McDaniels said making sure to stay in touch with trusted communities is one way to help alleviate anxieties.
