Afectaciones en salud mental a fotoperiodistas derivadas del cubrimiento periodístico a noticias marcadas por el dolor y el sufrimiento humano

Abstract

This research examines the mental health impacts experienced by photojournalists covering news related to pain, human suffering, and armed conflict. Through stories, life stories, and interviews, we access the testimony of various photojournalists from Bogotá, Colombia, who discuss how their constant exposure to this type of news has led them to experience stress, anxiety, and depression, chronically affecting their mental health. Based on this, we developed an audiovisual documentary that brings these testimonies to light. With the help of experts in mental health, journalism, and international photojournalism, we reveal the different factors, consequences, and effects that being a photojournalist has on emotional well-being. We conclude that photojournalists are key players in all democratic societies, how their work affects their lives in general, and, from there, the responsibility of the media and society to comprehensively care for and safeguard their mental health.