Kidnappings, murders, burned bodies, decapitations. These are all acts of hideous violence that many journalists in Mexico witness daily. All of this raises concerns about PTSD and other mental health that come about as a result of the profession.
CCTV’s Franc Contreras filed this report from Mexico City.

More than 100 professional reporters have been killed in the last decade covering Mexico’s war on drugs and related criminal violence. International human rights agencies say Mexican armed forces have also committed crimes against journalists. Psychologists are now raising concerns over the mental health status of Mexico’s journalists.

The international organization, Reporters Without Borders says Mexico is one of the most deadly countries in the world for working journalists.

A recent study, published by Psychologists at Mexico’s National Autonomous University examined the emotional status of journalists covering violence in Mexico. Their finding raise serious concerns about the mental health problems that news workers often experience when covering violent crimes.
According to the study, 77 percent of journalists in Mexico suffer from high rates of anxiety and more than 40 percent report symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
The study also shows that a quarter of journalists turn to alcohol and other drugs to relieve their emotional pain.

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Anthony Feinstein of Univ. of Toronto discusses journalists in war zones

Anthony Feinstein is a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto.
For more than a decade, he’s been leading a study on journalists in warzones.