Brexit Anxiety

Abstract

The years since the Brexit referendum have seen increased rates of anxiety in Britain, increased demands for mental health services where Brexit has been cited, and an increase in prescriptions for antidepressant medications. Brexit carries real and measurable mental health costs. Based on available survey data, it seems less the decision to leave the EU that has created stress, and more the disjointed and uncontrollable political processes that have surrounded the Brexit transition. This chapter examines Brexit from the perspective of psychological stress: it argues that Brexit offers a unique case study in how to manage a national project in the most stressful way possible.