The Party’s Over

Are your nights filled with Tourette's-like outbursts of "Zogby!" "Special interest groups!" "That one!"? Do you find yourself inexplicably craving foods such as baked Alaska or Moose Tracks ice cream?

Or, maybe you're sometimes overcome by the urge to slap, or hug, Oprah.

If so, you're probably experiencing post-election depression, a general down in the dumps kind of blues that comes from the lack of constant polling, endless robocalls and the end of the epic romance for your vote.

"I felt a little disappointed after the election because I had been so active," says local Gillian Pisula, who volunteered for Dina Titus' campaign. "My phone had been ringing and ringing and ringing. The campaign kept asking me to go here or go there. That gave me, as a retired person, a sense of purpose greater than myself. I have my friends here, but working on the campaign gave me fulfillment."

Compared to past elections, this year's presidential campaign held a lot of meaning for many people, says Michelle Carro, a psychologist and the associate director for clinical training in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' psychology department. The extent to which something is meaningful to us determines the impact it will have on our feelings, Carro explains. So those who were emotionally invested in seeing Barack Obama elected as president or Sarah Palin as vice president may experience a letdown or even symptoms of depression now that it's over.

People were more plugged into this election than ever before, thanks to technology and the presence of blogs and Web sites addressing every issue for every candidate. And the $5 billion spent to get voters' attention put the political battles front and center in many people's lives, says UNLV political science professor David Damore.

Add in the fact that Nevada was considered a battleground state and bombarded with television commercials, campaign phone calls, canvassing and lots of candidate visits, and even the detached were drawn into the drama, Damore adds.

"After the election, I was thinking, 'What am I going to do with all my time now?' " Damore jokes.

Since January's caucuses, Damore fielded seemingly endless requests from media outlets seeking his expert opinion; his time has been filled with interviews and analysis, pushing his research and daily life to the side. Now, he says, he will decompress and life will return to normal.

Some people, namely those whose candidates won, spent a few days after the Nov. 4 election enjoying the success. But once the feelings of victory subside, they, too, could succumb to post-election depression.

Valerie Smith, a local volunteer for Titus' campaign, spent most of her free time either volunteering or reading about the campaigns online. When she wasn't working on the campaign, she was thinking about the campaign. A family wedding right after the election kept her preoccupied, but she expects to feel a loss once things settle down.

"I am totally on cloud nine," Smith says. "But it may hit me next week that it's over. There was kind of an emotional buildup to the election. You can't wait for it to be over, but at the same time you don't want it to be over. It's so exciting because it really gave me a purpose."

The key to avoiding any sort of letdown is to find something meaningful to fill the time spent on the election, Carro says.

Those who lost, mostly Republicans, may want to find someone to blame. They may feel cheated, like their voice hasn't been heard, Damore says. Instead of playing the blame game, they should channel their frustrations into getting ready for the next election, he suggests.

The holidays are coming up, which should help distract many people, Carro says.

If you are feeling sad about the outcome of the election or just the fact that it's over, Carro recommends you allow yourself to feel the feelings.

"You don't necessarily have to rid yourself of that sadness right away," she says. "It would be appropriate to let it kind of wash through you. Then think about alternatives for your time. Recognize that these changes in course don't always have to mean a bad thing. Be open to possibilities."

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.