The world is, and always has been, heavily dominated by politics. As such, political changes have a significant impact on individuals' mental health - a topic Smith explores in his article, 'Politics Is Making Us Sick'. Smith writes that most Americans' expenditures in health care rose significantly between 2017 and 2020, a period that is known as the Trump Era. Smith reports that the suicide hotline received numerous calls after the 2016 election, an event that caused significant emotional strain in people from distinct political parties. Smith remarks that these reported parties, especially the Democrats, see Trump's politics as damaging to their health.

Smith quotes the USA Today/Suffolk University poll, which finds that there is a large number of Americans with mental health problems - an issue that manifests itself in a concerningly high number of youth suicides and overdoses. During the pandemic, social turmoil was a major source of distress for many individuals. Physical conflicts between anti-maskers and store managers is one instance that illustrates the convergence between the personal and political in regards to Biden's mandatory mask policies.

Smith surveyed 800 people about mental health, and reports that 40 percent were stressed due to changes in politics, which caused many individuals to lose sleep or experience significant mental distress.

Political shifts have an undeniably substantial impact on the lives of American citizens, as political policy impacts real people in tangible ways. Policy regarding education has significant influence on social ethics. For example, states banning critical race theory and Florida's passing of Bill 1557, which forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarden through grade 3. Political policy can also have more direct implications on individuals' rights and safety such as the passing of Roe v. Wade or the legalization of same-sex marriage in the U.S.

Politics dictate a plethora of factors in every individual's life - they matter. Therefore, understanding the impacts of politics on our personal lives is an important step in addressing the concerning effects of political stress.