At the intersection of politics and mental health, women are standing out

Mental health challenges have not been something politicians were comfortable airing until recently. That has shifted at the American national level with Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.). He drew praise across the spectrum for being open as he went into hospital for depression recently. 

Around the world, we are opening a path into new territory around mental health and public life. It’s a good thing because it encourages us to question stereotypes about leadership. As we do so it also opens the door for the next generation of young women who are ready to step up and lead. 

The idea that a political leader must be “strong” and “tough,” traits typically attributed to men, is less popular than it used to be. And as leaders in the next generation encounter less of the old stigma around mental health as a barrier, it will lead to more humane policymaking and more authentic, open leadership. It will lead to a genuine shift in our global political culture for a better future together.

The resignations of Nicola Sturgeon and Jacinda Ardern have also hit home as part of this shift. Both women — leaders of Scotland and New Zealand — were open as they stepped down recently. Both said they were processing the impact of governing during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Sturgeon described the “physical and mental impact on me.” Meanwhile, Ardern talked about not having enough gas “in the tank” to carry on in the job. There was some sexist response to Ardern’s resignation. The BBC ran a headline asking, “can women have it all?” But commenters expressed outrage and the broadcaster “corrected” the headline. 

Meanwhile, we are asking if enough is being done to keep brilliant young women in politics. That’s a good question. Sturgeon talked about the brutality of modern political discourse. Political observers say there’s a shift in how women leaders can be more open. And voters, too, are keen to see their political leaders do more about mental health. A recent survey of Gen Z voters in America by my organization, IGNITE, showed the issue as a high priority at the ballot box.

There were rare exceptions to the taboo around mental health and politics in the past. Sir Winston Churchill described long depressive episodes as visits by “my black dog.” Recent research now suggests he may have suffered from bipolar disorder. But historians continue to gloss over deep discussion of his symptoms. They prefer to focus on his legacy as though it were separate from the human who left it. 

Historians also long resisted combing too deep into President Abraham Lincoln’s “melancholy.” Even though it is now something some partly credit with giving him the tools to outlaw slavery. Most historians now agree that Lincoln suffered from clinical depression.

Likewise, both Churchill and Lincoln were born to privilege, and they were both white men. Today’s political leaders can be young women. They can be women of color, queer, Muslim women, trans women and women living with disabilities. They can come from poverty. Moving such diverse women into every level of politics will change things. But it will take time and it will take dismantling outdated notions of what leadership looks like. This means embracing new narratives about what it means to be a political leader, including who is “fit” for office and how addressing mental health in politics can actually lead to more authenticity in leadership. 

We also need to urgently address the mental health crisis plaguing young women today. As the leader of a young women’s political empowerment organization, I have seen how mental health impacts young people, especially young women. This is an issue they care about and it’s an issue that directly impacts their political confidence, ambition and desire to lead. 

In a 2020 survey conducted during COVID, we saw shocking mental health numbers. Sixty-five percent of respondents felt unhappy or stressed. Seventy-three percent felt constantly under strain. Fifty-three percent lost sleep over too much worry. New research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released in February shows record levels of sadness in teen girls. 

Yes, those numbers are startling. But I don’t see them as engendering despair. In fact, I see them as more of a reason to go out and engage more young women in a conversation about their agency and power. I want them to see these challenges as part of a journey toward heroic achievements. A bit like Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln may have done, generations earlier.

I’ve met countless young women who care about issues in their communities, but who fear political leadership. I introduced them to local, relatable political leaders. They talked together about how important it was to rewrite the rules. Then, those young women grew more comfortable with the idea of running for office. 

As we see our politicians being more open about the challenges they face, young women will see themselves in leadership more often. I hope they will revel in this new territory and show us bolder, braver versions of our older selves. 

Sara Guillermo is the chief executive of IGNITE, an organization devoted to young women’s political leadership. Follow her on Twitter: @SaraGuillermo19.