General Article Brexit anxiety shouldn’t be over-medicalised – it is fuelling real political engagement

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Brexit anxiety shouldn't be over-medicalised – it is fuelling real political engagement

Dan Degerman, Lancaster University

With no deal in sight, people are justifiably anxious about Brexit. A new poll by the research company Britain Thinks found just under two-thirds of people surveyed believe the uncertainty over Brexit is bad for people’s mental health.

Mental health experts are warning that these anxieties are indeed cause for concern. But their warnings may have serious political consequences.

Declaring Brexit-related anxiety a national phenomenon, BBC Radio 4’s PM programme discussed this issue on March 28 – the day before the UK was scheduled to leave the EU. Listener accounts of Brexit anxiety were paired with expert “remedies” for coping with the “condition”. Among the experts was a GP, who urged that the best way to deal with Brexit anxiety was for people to take control of the things they can control, such as sleeping, eating, exercising, and limiting their exposure to so...

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