Psychologist Jeffrey Gardere says the ongoing gridlock on Capitol Hill over the federal budget and U.S. debt ceiling is affecting many Americans' mental health.
"The pain out there is real for people. They feel betrayed by their government and they are angry, and it's bringing out a fringe of people who have mental-health issues," Gardere, who calls himself "America's Pyschologist," told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.
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"Look at the guy who burnt himself to death in the Capitol. Look at the woman . . . who was shot by the Capitol Police and Secret Service. So, this is something that is affecting the common-day Americans," he said Wednesday.
"People are fed up. If they already have some pre-existing issues with anger, depression, it's only making it worse."
Gardere, an adjunct clinical professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York City, said Americans are "scared" that "every time a crisis comes up now, that folks are just now partially funding this, partially funding that."
"They know that this is a sign of something that is not good, and that the country's not headed in the right direction . . . People act out when this happens.
"People are losing their tempers, they're not as mentally stable as they used to be, and all of that has to do with our economy," Gardere said.
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