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As the 2024 presidential election approaches, consumer stress is spiking. And mental health companies have started to notice.
A May American Psychiatric Association (APA) poll found that 73% of US adults—about 181 million people—reported feeling anxious about the election. The same APA poll also found that 43% of adults are generally more anxious in 2024 than last year, an increase from 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022.
In response, some well-known mental health companies have launched initiatives to support consumers and provide coping strategies.
Calm, a California-based app that offers guided meditations, offered half off its premium subscription plan to help members “navigate election stress,” per its website. The deal ran from September 4 to September 10, according to Calm’s Chief Content Officer Greg Justice, during the week of the second presidential debate.
This is the company’s first time offering an election season deal, Justice said, but people have turned to Calm’s resources in both the 2020 and 2024 election seasons. He added that the platform has had a rise in subscriptions as a result of these election initiatives, which began in June.
“Calm is here to support people through life’s most stressful moments, including another frenetic election season. Whether helping folks wind down after the debates, take a break from the never-ending news cycle, or simply take a breath before heading to the polls, we’re focused on meeting people where they are, with real-time relief and support,” Justice said in an emailed statement.
Headspace, a mental health company (also based in California) that provides coaching and tools like meditation and sleep support, has an election season survival guide that includes a quiz for consumers to discover their “election stress persona” and tools to address each profile.
The toolkit, which Headspace created in collaboration with voting advocacy organization When We All Vote, aims “to help you put your mental health first this election season.” Some employers are using this resource to help their employees work through mental health challenges during the season.
Other companies—like counseling and therapy provider BetterHelp, online therapy company Talkspace, and the Discovery Mood and Anxiety Program, which treats individuals with eating disorders and other mental health conditions—have also put out guides and resources to help consumers navigate mental health challenges leading up to the election.
“Elections won’t—and can’t—cease just because they cause stress. We must find a way to manage political anxiety in a healthy, productive way,” Elizabeth Keohan, a licensed clinical social worker, wrote on the Talkspace blog.