Dennis Camire is a poet and a writing instructor at Central Maine Community College. He lives in West Paris.

As we enter another iteration of an exhausting election cycle, I’ve noticed in myself, and others close to me, what might be an outbreak of a serious mental health crisis.

Though the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not yet list this, I think that, soon, all of us will recognize this ailment and, perhaps by my naming it, we can then treat it and implement preventive measures. Maine voters, politicians and talking heads, I give you the following neologism for our volatile political age.

Background rage-iation is the unhealthy increase in general rage caused by hyperpartisan rhetoric in Washington and state capitals by politicians, talking heads and lobbyists.

Because, like radiation, rage-iation is invisible, it can be difficult to gauge your degree of rage-iation exposure. Most people, however, can get a general reading of their base rage-iation level by measuring the increased frustration in their voice and rise in blood pressure in response to any question about politics and culture.

However, most Americans are rather naïve as to just how much rage-iation their bodies and minds have been exposed to (and which is still contained in their bones, marrow and organs), even as they rant and rave over the newest political scandal or how this or that system seems rigged.

And as with artificially generated radiation, our government is loath to inform us of just how much rage-iation it may be manufacturing and releasing into the atmosphere of our public discourse for fear that it will be revealed as secretly sanctioning these unhealthy rage-iation levels for political and monetary gain.

The media, too, it seems, has found a direct correlation between an increase in rage-iation levels and ratings so, for many Mainers and Americans, it is not unlike living in proximity to two unstable nuclear power plants.

Additionally, just as one can become sick and/or die from radiation poisoning, more evidence is coming forth proving that excess rage-iation exposure can trigger fatal cardiac events, induce strokes and be the undiagnosed reason why meek librarians and schoolteachers suddenly find themselves the instigators of road rage just because someone didn’t let them merge into the passing lane.

Hopefully advances in AI can provide us with a more accurate means to gauge these levels and, in turn, come up with legislation to regulate the amount of rage-iation we allow into our public discourse.

Ideally, too, our leaders will be realistic and gauge how there is a certain healthy “background rage-iation” level that is safe even for children.

Until then, though, it might be wise not to overestimate just how close you can get to a political debate, or an election’s horse race, before becoming completely toxified beyond recovery and, like Frank Costanza, finding yourself screaming, “Serenity now!”

My recommendation is to balance political engagement with exercise and meditation so that two hours listening to debates or researching issues is balanced by two hours of sitting in the lotus, hiking and scribbling your frustrations into a leather-bound journal you can throw against the wall or TV.

Finally, if this tongue-in-cheek editorial has enraged you instead of inspiring a grin or guffaw, then, good Lord, you may have stage four or five rage-iation. Please seek help immediately.