SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — The long border waits between San Diego and Tijuana are causing stress, anxiety and sleep deprivation for those who cross on a daily basis.
Psychologist Evelyn Campa told El Sol newspaper in Tijuana that she treats many border commuters who share these same mental health issues.
“Whenever I listen to these patients, workers, students, people in general who cross the border daily, I see the same various phenomenon,” she said.
According to Campa, the biggest problem is altered sleep cycles.
“The most prevalent issue is lack of sleep in patients,” she said. “Their biological clocks are stunted because of their early-to-rise schedules.”
Many commuters have to get up alarmingly early in the morning to line up at the crossings in order to get to work or school on time.
Campa has also noticed behavioral problems in children who awake early to be driven to school in the U.S.
“I talk to parents who say their children are hard to control showing signs of aggression and restlessness while waiting in line. It’s all due to the lack of sleep. They’re physically and mentally exhausted and it leads to irritability, anxiety and depression.”
Another issue Campa has noticed is in many young professionals who studied north of the border is that they exhibit frustration and disappointment with not being able to land good-paying jobs in their field in Mexico.
“They studied something, got educated, but unfortunately they are doing basic labor and not involved in their fields of study, but they do it because they can still earn more on the other side of the border than they can back home in Tijuana. This is very disappointing and deflating for many.”
One of Campa’s patients, Miranda Fernández, also spoke with El Sol and admitted to feeling depleted and discouraged having to do remedial work in the U.S. while waiting up to four hours every day to cross the border.
“I feel like I’m wasting my life away waiting in line daily. Most of the time when I get home, I just go to sleep,” Fernández said. “I wonder why keep doing this and maybe just figure out a way to eke out a living here in Tijuana.”
I feel like I’m wasting my life away waiting in line daily. …”
Miranda Fernández, border commuter
Others say they wish they could afford to live north of the border and avoid the long waits, especially for their children.
“There is nothing fun about this, day after day. I wish both governments could figure out a way to diminish border waits at San Ysidro and Otay, in both directions,” commuter Valentina Juárez said.
Campa went on to say if there was a way for people to get across the border faster, it would improve their mental health quite a bit while adding to their quality of life and happiness.
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