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Overdosing on News Can Be Bad for One's Mental Health, Scholar Says
AScribe Newswire ^ | Thursday, November 01, 2001

Posted on 11/01/2001 7:18:45 PM PST by Dog Gone

CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Nov 01, 2001 (ASCRIBE NEWS via COMTEX) -- In these uncertain times, what do authorities on uncertainty management advise?

Although it sounds counterintuitive, some suggest that people should back off now and then from information seeking. In some cases, too much information can be hazardous to one's mental health. So says Dale Brashers, an authority on the burgeoning field of uncertainty management and a professor of speech communication at the University of Illinois. Much of his work over the last several years has focused on patients' uncertainty concerning HIV and AIDS.

Because of the current uncertainty about the dangers of bioterrorism and other terrorist acts, people want more information, Brashers said, acknowledging that it is "perfectly natural" to think that gathering information will help reduce uncertainty.

"But this is a case in which information may simply cause greater anxiety, particularly if the information forecasts negative consequences or if it is contradictory or unclear."

Which is why he believes that "Sometimes people need to back away from the onslaught of information." Doing so can be difficult, "especially when we want to be vigilant about possible risks," he said. "It can also be difficult because of the constant media attention and what is labeled 'accidental exposure' to information."

Even in better times, uncertainty management involves a kind of mental balancing act - "a balance between a desire for information and a need to avoid extreme or pathological anxiety."

This moment in time, when cases of inhalation anthrax - and deaths caused by it - are being verified, not only is taxing citizens, it also is taxing the experts: the Postmaster General, the Surgeon General and the Centers for Disease Control, Brashers said.

"This is an area in which the science seems to change from minute to minute," he said. "So in addition to uncertainty about the possibility of bioterrorist attacks, we now also have questions - and uncertainty - about expert advice. And this can call into question a core value: our trust in scientific knowledge for everyday concerns - food and product safety, health and illness information and so on."

Thus, although we have to be vigilant for acts of terrorism because we now know the threats are real, "we also have to be careful to avoid obsessive information seeking, such as overly frequent monitoring of newscasts and obsessive thinking or 'ruminating' about the threat."

"People should listen to trusted sources, realize that media sources may be inaccurate because they are trying to disseminate information rapidly and - from time to time - verify information through health agencies."

Brashers wrote "Communication and Uncertainty Management," which appears in the current issue of the Journal of Communication, a special issue on uncertainty, evaluation and communication.


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1 posted on 11/01/2001 7:18:45 PM PST by Dog Gone
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To: mercy
Sound familiar?
2 posted on 11/01/2001 7:19:09 PM PST by Dog Gone
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To: Dog Gone
No wonder I'm nuts.
3 posted on 11/01/2001 7:20:47 PM PST by bluefish
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To: Dog Gone
We aren't Free here at CrazyRepublic! We news the read all the time, and we're sanely perfect!
4 posted on 11/01/2001 7:21:26 PM PST by xm177e2
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To: Dog Gone
Is this the old "Ignorance is bliss" stuff? - Tom
5 posted on 11/01/2001 7:23:40 PM PST by Capt. Tom
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To: bluefish
"Onward through the fog".....

I prefer to know what information is available, I have trouble breathing-when my head is in the sand (or elsewhere).

6 posted on 11/01/2001 7:24:58 PM PST by loulou
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To: Dog Gone
"...people should back off now and then from information seeking.
In some cases, too much information can be hazardous to one's mental health..."

Am I experiencing too much reality?
Do I need more fantasy?
A waist is a terrible thing to mind.
7 posted on 11/01/2001 7:26:59 PM PST by error99
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To: Dog Gone
Information doesn't drive people crazy. Propaganda does.
8 posted on 11/01/2001 7:27:56 PM PST by virgil
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To: xm177e2
AAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!
9 posted on 11/01/2001 7:29:07 PM PST by 6ppc
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To: Dog Gone
Great! If my husband sees this, he'll sit back and give me that smug "I-told-you-so" smile.
10 posted on 11/01/2001 7:29:09 PM PST by c. l. coffman
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To: Dog Gone
Blah blah blah....my husband tries to tell me the same thing.

I don't listen to him either.

MKM

11 posted on 11/01/2001 7:29:21 PM PST by mykdsmom
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To: Dog Gone
I've been like this all my life. FR is just my favorite place to do it.
12 posted on 11/01/2001 7:29:45 PM PST by blam
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To: Capt. Tom
I don't think so. I think it's describing something that can happen on the other end of the spectrum where news becomes an unhealthy obsession.

There are people who watch the news (or read it here) in order to find evidence that justifies or validates the level of anxiety that they are feeling. It's almost, but not quite, as if they are HOPING that another bad thing will happen. It will give them an "I told you so!" moment.

Those people need a rest, perhaps with the help of an understanding friend who promises to call them if anything important happens.

13 posted on 11/01/2001 7:30:02 PM PST by Dog Gone
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To: mykdsmom
My wife gave up on me a long time ago.
14 posted on 11/01/2001 7:30:04 PM PST by 6ppc
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To: blam
I've been like this all my life. FR is just my favorite place to do it.

I've been a news junkie since the hostage crisis in 79. FR just makes it possible for me to do it all day and night long!

15 posted on 11/01/2001 7:31:21 PM PST by 6ppc
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To: mykdsmom
My hubby gave up long ago .. he much rather I yell at the TV then him ... he figured it was a win win .. lol
16 posted on 11/01/2001 7:31:53 PM PST by Mo1
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To: Dog Gone
I basically stay away from tv all together. Many portions of it are anxiety producers not just the news. I would not consider it healthy to have Fox News or any other news source blaring away all the time. The articles are written for maximum shock and suspense value and not necessarily for information as that is the secondary function of the news it now seems. Too much hype with no true subsatnce and repetitive articles is the rule rather than the exception.
17 posted on 11/01/2001 7:32:10 PM PST by cva66snipe
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To: Dog Gone

Memoirs of a Banana Republican

Walking on Freedom Road

Luis Gonzalez

Click on America

18 posted on 11/01/2001 7:32:10 PM PST by Luis Gonzalez
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To: Dog Gone
Those people need a rest, perhaps with the help of an understanding friend who promises to call them if anything important happens.

Ok...since you are volunteering...FReepmail me when something happens. Gotta get some sleep.

19 posted on 11/01/2001 7:34:12 PM PST by 6ppc
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To: 6ppc
Me too. Let's let John Huang do the calling. He's up all night!
20 posted on 11/01/2001 7:36:27 PM PST by Dog Gone
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