With the vast amount of media outlets – written, broadcast, and online – there are many different outlets for news. But while that might make it easier to find information, that information may cause stress. According to the 2019 “Stress in America” report, 54 percent of people said they want to stay informed, but the news causes them stress. Generation Z and Millennial adults show the greatest link between news and stress, with older adults the lowest. The disease COVID-19 caused by novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has caused millions of illnesses and hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide. During the pandemic, people are consuming media more frequently. A March 2020 global study conducted by Kantar showed a 70 percent increase in Internet browsing and 63 percent increase in TV viewing. “It’s hard not to see wall-to-wall news coverage of pandemic talk, daily death counts, and infection counts and not feel anxious,” says Robert Hudak, MD, medical director of the OCD Intensive Outpatient Program at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital. Factors like 24/7 news channels and the wide scope of the Internet may play a factor in that anxiety. “I truly believe that it makes it worse,” Dr. Hudak says. “Now, it’s 24 hours a day. It’s extremely tempting to want to check your phone or check your computer and refresh it to find the latest news and the latest death count and how many cases are reported in the county. Obviously, that’s extremely stressful.” With COVID-19 specifically, many people have seen their daily routines upended. Because of social distancing recommendations, many people are working from home, and many businesses and schools have shut down. Other people may have lost their jobs or seen their income affected. Those stressors just add to the wall-to-wall coverage and can increase anxiety, Dr. Hudak says. Also, while there’s a lot of information out there, there also is the potential for misinformation. That, too, can cause anxiety.