Publication Name	World Journal of Psychiatry
Manuscript ID	124924
DOI	10.5498/wjp.124924
Country	Sweden

Category	Psychiatry
Manuscript Type	Minireviews
Article Title	Beyond direct trauma: Vicarious exposure, media-induced stress, and external stress overload as emerging public mental health challenges
Manuscript Source	Unsolicited Manuscript
All Author List	Davoud Amiri, Lamberto Briziarelli, Sara Amiri, Barry Karlsson, Swetang J Shah and Hadi Rahimi Danesh
Funding Agency and Grant Number
Corresponding Author	Davoud Amiri, MD, PhD, Researcher, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated with Uppsala Region, Drottninggatan 12, Uppsala 75310, Uppland, Sweden. info@drdamiri.com
Key Words	External stress overload; Vicarious trauma; Media-induced stress; Digital mental health; Doomscrolling; Psychological distress; Intolerance of uncertainty; Public mental health
Core Tip	This review proposes external stress overload as a clinical framework for understanding how repeated indirect exposure to threatening information may contribute to distress in contemporary digital environments. The model integrates evidence on vicarious trauma, media-induced stress, doomscrolling, uncertainty, rumination, impaired recovery, and stress biology. It is not presented as a new diagnosis, but as a working concept that may help clinicians assess when media exposure, poor recovery, and repeated checking become maintaining factors for anxiety, sleep disturbance, emotional dysregulation, and functional impairment.
Citation	Amiri D, Briziarelli L, Amiri S, Karlsson B, Shah SJ, Rahimi Danesh H. Beyond direct trauma: Vicarious exposure, media-induced stress, and external stress overload as emerging public mental health challenges. World J Psychiatry 2026; In press DOI: https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.124924
PDF	124924-in-press.pdf

Received	2026-06-26 07:57
Peer-Review Started	2026-06-26 07:57
First Decision by Editorial Office Director
Return for Revision	2026-07-14 01:14
Revised	2026-07-25 19:24
Publication Fee Transferred	2026-08-28 10:57
Second Decision by Editor	2026-09-08 02:42
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-09-08 09:57
Articles in Press	2026-09-08 09:57
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	2220-3206 (online)
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Copyright	©Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. No commercial re-use. See Permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
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