Anxiety and Depression in an Unstable World

By Eric Levine, Ed.D and Kim Nelson, M.A. with Becky Shipkosky

As the ideological carnival ride that is Global North politics swings from side to side, it appears to reach new and loftier heights each time, threatening to turn us all upside-down at any minute. Just when it looks like it might right itself, it collides with a new world-changing technology, a global pandemic, or a culture war. Or…did it cause the culture war? No matter. In plain, unpretentious English, we are living in turbulent times, political divisions run deep, and economic instability affects most of us daily.

If only this instability were a carnival ride—something we could step off of after a few minutes, a little dizzy and briefly regretting our deep-fried lunch. Instead, it seems we’re strapped in for the long haul, and as unpredictability increases, so do rates of anxiety and depression. These two common mental health conditions have been on the rise since—big surprise—2020.

It Can Happen Anytime, to Anyone

It turns out that uncertainty is psychologically taxing. For everyone. Whether we’re already diagnosed with a mental health condition or feel like we’ve been blessed with a well-adjusted, neurotypical mind, almost no one is immune to the mental and emotional effects of political and economic instability. We know this because two relevant things happen during these times of instability:

• Individuals with existing mental health diagnoses experience increased symptoms.
• New mental health diagnoses increase significantly.

Politics, Powerlessness, and Koinostalgia

Many of us in developed parts of the world might reflexively think that political change doesn’t affect us much because that’s been relatively true historically. This era feels a bit different, though, doesn’t it? And as each person begins to notice change that’s unnerving to them personally, they join the growing ranks of those worrying about the future and wondering what to do—if anything. This can lead to feelings of powerlessness and alienation, which are profound stressors.

For lack of existing vocabulary to describe our present moment of cultural unease, we coined the term koinostalgia. From the Greek words for community (koinonia) and pain (algos), it refers to the discomfort we experience as cultural landscapes change in ways we find unsettling. Whether it’s shifting societal norms, fractured relationships, or escalating rhetoric, these changes can create a deep sense of loss, fear, or disenfranchisement. For some, it manifests as sadness or anger; for others, it may even feel like grief or trauma. In other words, everything is changing, and you don’t know where you fit anymore.

Several key stressors are behind this psychological response:

• Loss of control over societal direction: When political decisions contradict our personal values.
• Increased polarization and social conflict: When ideological divisions strain relationships.
• Erosion of trust in institutions: When governments, media, or legal systems seem unreliable.
• Fear of rights being stripped away: When heightened uncertainty leads to widespread fear about personal safety, autonomy, and future security.
• Increased exposure to distressing media: When constant engagement with polarizing or emotionally charged news causes distress.

Your Brain on Economic Uncertainty

Have you ever made a basic error that led to an overdraft fee? Now you’re negative $38 because of your $2 error. So you borrow $100 to cover the overdraft and get by until payday, but your account is $86 negative by the time you deposit the money because of that forgotten automatic membership fee? You’ve thrown away almost the entire $100 you borrowed, and you’re so mad at yourself. You’re distracted and run a red light on the way home, getting a $300 traffic ticket. It would be a comedy of errors if you could find any humor in it. Well, there’s a reason this happens.

In a 2013 study, participants were asked to consider an unexpected car repair costing [randomly] either $150 or $1500. When lower-income individuals contemplated the higher expense, their cognitive performance dropped so sharply that it was equivalent to losing a full night’s sleep or up to 13 IQ points. When basic survival needs feel uncertain, the brain diverts resources to immediate problem-solving, making it harder to focus, plan, and regulate emotions.

There are additional, related stressors, too:

• Strain on primary relationships.
• Working too much to catch up or get by.
• Reduced access to mental healthcare due to lack of time or funds.

It all begins to feel hopeless, entrapping. Unlike political instability, which often sparks anger or social disconnection, economic stress tends to drain us mentally and physically. The weight of ongoing financial strain is strongly linked to chronic anxiety, depression, decision fatigue, and sleep disturbances. Research suggests that prolonged economic uncertainty contributes to mental health decline and impairs decision-making.

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The Wiring

Our amazing human minds have evolved to keep us safe from threats. And, like any of the body’s adaptive functions, our threat-detection system can overdo it. When life gets turbulent and stays that way for a while, what started as a useful survival mechanism can turn maladaptive. Here’s what’s happening under the hood:

• Threat neurocircuitry: Uncertainty weakens the part of the brain that inhibits excessive fear response, making the brain more prone to overgeneralizing threats. This difficulty in distinguishing real danger from perceived danger has been directly linked to a heightened risk of both anxiety and depression.
• Disrupted fear extinction: Chronic uncertainty also disrupts how we recall past threats. When the brain struggles to distinguish whether previous situations were truly dangerous, it keeps stress responses active even when they’re no longer needed. Over time, as we retain old fears while accumulating new ones, emotional strain builds, increasing the risk of anxiety and depression​.
• Chronic stress, serotonin, and dopamine: Prolonged exposure to stress leads to dysregulation of serotonin and dopamine, which are critical for mood regulation. This disruption is directly linked to increased vulnerability to both anxiety and depression.
• Synaptic loss: Chronic stress can lead to the loss of synaptic connections between nerve cells, resulting in inefficient and "noisy" communication within neural circuits. This is believed to contribute to the development of depression.
• Cortisol: Prolonged stress exposure keeps cortisol levels elevated, which has been shown to shrink and impair the hippocampus—a brain region critical for memory and emotional regulation. Over time, these changes can weaken stress resilience and increase the risk of mood disorders like depression and anxiety.

Now What?

The chaos we’re experiencing isn’t just in the news—it’s in our brains, shaping our neurobiology, our mental health, and our daily lives. Understanding how uncertainty affects us is step one. In our next post, we’ll dive into practical ways to regain balance, even when the world feels anything but stable.