Violence in Mazatlán has begun to have profound effects on the mental health of its inhabitants, who now face psychosis, anxiety and post-traumatic stress.
This was reported by Luis Ángel Salinas Gudiño, president of the Association Help the Youth and member of the College of Psychiatrists of Mazatlán A.C., when detailing the impact of recent violent events on the population.
“The violent events that we have been experiencing in the municipality in recent days affect the mental health of any citizen, regardless of their age. Fear and anxiety have increased, and some even already show symptoms of post-traumatic stress,” explained Salinas Gudiño.
The specialist also warned about “infoxication” or continuous and unfiltered exposure to violent news on social networks and messaging applications.
The constant repetition of videos, images and messages, without adequate control, intensifies the symptoms.
“Most citizens are in WhatsApp groups on social networks, where very explicit information about violent events, such as shootings, robberies, murders and kidnappings, is arriving second by second,” said Salinas Gudiño.
The impact of this overexposure also affects children and young people, who in many cases do not have the necessary maturity to process this type of information. According to the psychiatrist, parents have reported to the association that their young children are beginning to suffer from nightmares and difficulties sleeping.
“Many children in primary and preschool are having difficulties sleeping and have nightmares. Even adults are beginning to show a certain type of psychosis due to this constant exposure,” he said.
In addition, Salinas Gudiño suggested that adults should assume the responsibility of filtering the information they receive and limit its dissemination, especially in the presence of children.
“As parents, we have to be very careful with the topics we discuss in front of our children, whether they are teenagers or children, because they are not old enough to understand or assimilate these situations,” he said.
To mitigate this problem, the specialist recommended that each person look for what brings them peace and well-being.
“If a parent feels that taking their child to school can increase their anxiety, they should not force them to do so. Decisions that bring us peace are the best at this time,” concluded Salinas Gudiño.
Source: elsoldemazatlan
