Much has been said about the psychological depression caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Much of it has been about the anxiety, fear and panic experienced.
All of this is of course important and needs to be kept at the forefront, but there is no denying the traumatic nature of what our nation and the world is going through. This pandemic is undoubtedly a precursor to a traumatic psychological crisis.
Traumatic Crisis
People, including the media, may be hesitant to use the word trauma when describing what happened. There are many reasons for this: it may be that people do not know what trauma is, it may be that they cannot imagine themselves being exposed to such a traumatic event. Another reason may be that they do not have faith that a traumatic event affecting such a large area will happen.
With this in mind, let us first remember what trauma is:
"Trauma" is considered to be the actual exposure of an individual to events such as life-threatening, injury, sexual assault, or coming close to these events, witnessing such events, or having such an event happen to a relative (DSM-5; APA, 2013). Individuals' reactions to traumatic events may vary. In general, the severity of psychological trauma may vary depending on the individual's personal experience of the traumatic event and the extent to which their psychological and physical integrity is threatened.
People who have experienced a traumatic event may show reactions of extreme fear, helplessness or terror, recall distressing memories over and over again or dream about them. They may act or feel as if the traumatic event is happening again, they may experience intense psychological distress or physiological reactions when confronted with situations that evoke some aspect of the event. They may try to avoid the thoughts, feelings or conversations that accompanied the trauma. There may be a limitation in affect and a sense of having no future.
There may also be sleep disturbances, restlessness, outbursts of anger, difficulty concentrating thoughts, constant alertness and excessive startle.
Obviously, this situation that the whole world is exposed to these days is very traumatic for all humanity and for every individual.
Who is at Risk?
The honest answer is "EVERYONE"
Of course, if we or someone we know very close to us is infected, if we are experiencing symptoms, the fear of losing our own life or that loved one, the fear that even if the symptoms are very mild, they will get worse, they will most likely experience intense post-traumatic symptoms when this process is over.
But let's not forget that health personnel working on the hotline are the group most at risk. Faced with the life-or-death situation of their own lives as well as the lives of others, they are the group that experiences the highest level of helplessness...
Many health workers have to work long hours, tired, and facing something they may never have encountered before: something that leaves them helpless, contagious and deadly... There is no doubt that they need much more intensive support, and it is very possible that they may experience post-traumatic symptoms after these events...
It is also quite possible that people who have experienced a previous or current traumatic event, people with high levels of anxiety in general and people who are preoccupied with their physical functioning are more likely to develop PTSD symptoms...
For the general population, those who have never encountered the virus, it will be a complete change of lifestyle and the fear of being able to meet their daily needs will also lead to trauma reactions in individuals. Some of us will lose our jobs, some of us will lose our standard of living, and that in itself is traumatic. Many of us are not only experiencing this, but also worrying about when things will return to normal, whether we will be infected in the process.
Does this mean that many of us will develop "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" (PTSD)?
Not necessarily. Not all traumatized individuals perceive and react to events or situations in the same way. Therefore, we cannot say that every individual exposed to trauma will develop PTSD. However, it is normal for people to show PTSD symptoms, especially in the first month following these events. We, mental health professionals, call this "acute stress disorder".
To be clear, in the first month after these events, many people will experience PTSD symptoms. Some of us will return to normal on our own, but others will develop "post-traumatic stress disorder". In a normal population, 7-8% of the population will be diagnosed with PTSD at some point in their lives (National Center for PTSD, 2020). But this is not the case for the pandemic we are currently facing.
So What Can We Do?
Share what you are experiencing inside!
Share about your thoughts!
Share about your feelings!
Talking about and interpreting your feelings, thoughts and experiences can play a protective role in developing PTSD...
It is important to not only hear about the pandemic, mortality and recovery rates in our community from the media, but also from other trusted community health centers. Unfortunately, as a society, we focus more on mortality rates than recovery rates. However, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that the recovery rate is higher than the mortality rate. Also, taking the precautions required by community health centers and the state will help us to keep our anxiety levels under control.
What not to do: "Avoid" "Try to forget!" or "Ignore your feelings and thoughts!"
What if it is not enough?
If, despite doing all these things, you are experiencing symptoms that impair your quality of life, then you should work with a mental health professional experienced in trauma. Trauma psychology is a specialized field in mental health. Therefore, you should make sure that the specialist you are going to see is specialized in this field.
It should not be forgotten that we, as mental health professionals, are with every individual in the society, and a specialist should be contacted when there is a need for help. It is very important that we take the necessary precautions to get out of the challenging process that our society and the world are going through these days with the least physical and mental damage.
Yasemin Ozan, PhD(cand)
Clinical Psychologist