Posted on 11/16/2004 3:38:10 AM PST by johnny7
Post Election Selection Trauma is a real problem, Florida clinicians say
Mental health officials in South Florida blasted Rush Limbaugh on Monday, saying the conservative talk show host’s offer of “free therapy” for traumatized John Kerry voters has made a mockery of a valid psychological problem.
“Rush Limbaugh has a way of back-handedly slamming people,” said Sheila Cooperman, a licensed clinician with the American Health Association (AHA) who listened Friday as Limbaugh offered to personally treat her patients. “He’s trying to ridicule the emotional state this presidential election produced in many of us here in Palm Beach County. Who is he to offer therapy?”
The Boca Raton News reported last week that more than 30 distraught Kerry supporters in South Florida contacted the non-profit AHA following their candidate’s Nov. 3 concession to President Bush. AHA officials have diagnosed the disorder as Post Election Selection Trauma (PEST) and have scheduled the first of several free group therapy sessions for just after Thanksgiving. Cooperman, whose professional practice is based in Delray Beach, said the election-related symptoms she sees in the Kerry supporters more than quality PEST as “a legitimate syndrome or disorder within the trauma spectrum,” according to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. “Rush Limbaugh has no clinical qualifications to counsel anyone,” Cooperman said. “He’s not only minimizing PEST, but he’s bastardizing the entire psychological field and our clinical expertise.”
Rob Gordon, AHA executive director, said Limbaugh’s radio musings caused the charity to receive hundreds of calls and letters from gloating Republicans. But he said he also received a small batch of letters and e-mails from people who said they understood why some Kerry voters would need therapy. A man named Paul wrote to AHA, “I too was very depressed, and I knew a lot people who felt the same way. You have to understand that to many of us, this was the key election about the future of our country, and with a Bush win that future is pretty much destroyed. Naturally, there’s going to be some significant grief.” “The people here in Palm Beach County now in therapy or support groups are the canaries in the mine shaft,” Gordon said. “There could be thousands of others, even Republicans, who need to be in therapy over this election.” Gordon said the AHA on Monday also received its first out-of-state call – from a fixed-income woman in Texas who is “absolutely terrified of what Bush will do” – and scheduled a free telephone therapy session with her for today.
Douglas Schooler, the Boca Raton trauma specialist who treated 20 people with hypnotherapy following Kerry’s loss, said he believes many people suffering from election-related symptoms are still afraid to step forward.“The Republicans want Kerry voters to shut up and pretend they’re not feeling anything,” Schooler said. “But many people have serious emotional pain over this election and it’s unhealthy to stuff it down inside of you. Therapy is the best way.” Although Schooler said he never listens to Limbaugh, he said he has been deluged by similar phone calls and attacked on South Florida’s radio talk shows. “Most of the calls I’m getting are from Republicans making fun of the whole thing,” Schooler said. “One guy wrote me a letter saying I should tell people to vote Republican and save themselves the stress. Republicans want to minimize the whole story of election fraud and voter anger.” Schooler said he did not expect the Republican gloating to stop anytime soon. Limbaugh, a Palm Beach County resident who owns $26 million worth of property in the area, read the two Boca News exclusives on his nationally syndicated radio program last week.
“So if anybody on the left wants some serious therapy here and counseling, I’m more than willing to offer my assistance as well,” Limbaugh said on Nov. 9. On Nov. 12, accused by Gordon of picking up the story to rub it in the faces of Democrats, Limbaugh said, “Now, my friends, I didn’t do that. I reached out. I offered a hand of friendship. I offered my own counseling services.” AHA officials, listening to the taped broadcasts, described Limbaugh’s tone of voice as sarcastic.
"Mental health officials in South Florida blasted Rush Limbaugh on Monday, saying the conservative talk show host’s offer of “free therapy” for traumatized John Kerry voters has made a mockery of a valid psychological problem."
Awwwwwwwwwww. Who cares? Traumatized Kerry voters should be mocked unmercifully. Where was the rush of mental health care professionals when Dole lost?
What a huge whine.
One should be depressed if they were a supporter of the empty suit, souless, phony, John Kerry.
I mean, if they had at least one free hand, they would've reached over and tuned to a different station, right? Or turned the radio OFF? We ARE talking about adults who have a mostly functioning brain, aren't we?
No?
Laugh if you want, but know that this country was founded on the backs of grief counselors. How do you think the Washingtons et al dealt initially? Before there were the federalist papers, there were our founding fathers, in the fetal position, hand-wringing over the...never mind...
Why is the fact that Rush owns $26 million worth of property in the Palm Beach County area mentioned in this story? So what? Let's see, that's about 9 months of Rush's pre-tax income. So what?
p.s. The culture/country commonly agreed to exibit the most Xenophobia? FRANCE
"Life's rough, get a freakin helmet."
The therapeutic community is just trying to make sure that nobody learns anything from this election. Perhaps the sufferer's feeling of dislocation and separation from society as a whole means that he is dislocated and separated from society as a whole. Perhaps the solution to this problem is not five sessions of navel gazing but rather a frank reassessment of one's political positions, to perhaps discern the wisdom of the majority position.
Hey, does anybody else smell something here?
This has got to be one of the funniest results of the election. Head docs complaining that Rush is being too nasty to their patients trying to get over yet another life changing earth shattering loss of the DemocRATic party. Poor, poor little tiny babies.... Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah...
I think they were upset the therapy offer from Rush was for FREE. Probably violates some charge them as much as the traffic can bear rule.
I see. So now the mental health community is sanctioning the notion that Bush stole this election, too.
Here's my suggested therapy for the misled ungrateful:
Reading assignments: Read some history! Socialism is and has always been a failed policy for nations. Why would the greatest nation the world has ever known, the most prosperous nation, the most successful nation, the nation that leads the Free World, the nation that repeatedly SAVES the Free World, emulate any part of European or Canadian socialism? These liberals do not realize there were no losers this past election, we all won.
LOL!
Sorry folks but I place psychiatrists in the same boat with Fortune tellers.
Psychiatry in my opinion isnt a science its hoakum.
If you need help go see a friend, at least he wont shoot you up with brain numbing medicines.
Rush should gently tell these Florida psychologists there is much more money to be made treating the Dem leadership.
Psychologists treat narcissists don't they?
Just think of all the money by treating the grandiose, entitled, frauds like Kerry, Ma and Pa Clinton, Ted (leave no female behind)Kennedy, McAwful, Carville, Begala......my god, the list is endless.
I got laughing so hard reading that article. Are you kidding me? These people are out of control. AND to think my son lives in that area. I sure hope he doesn't catch whatever they have that makes them so STUPID!
I also emailed the journalist that wrote the piece.
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