Covid Awareness

PTSD: An Emerging Consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Psychological trauma is a major threat to one's life. Witnessing or experiencing a grave bodily injury, sexual violence, an unexpected loss, urgent threat to life, or physical harm to another person- can all lead to psychological trauma. Intrusive thoughts, nightmares, avoidance of reminders of the trauma, self-blame, being "on edge," fear for safety, impatience, and concentration issues are all frequent reactions to trauma.

After enduring a psychological trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop when these reactions last for a month or more and cause significant stress and disturbance in one's life.

COVID-19 and PTSD

COVID-19 quickly escalated into a global health pandemic, posing physical and psychological risks to people exposed to sudden deaths or fear of death. Healthcare personnel who come into close contact with COVID patients, for example, are not only exposed to the virus daily, but they may also see an increase in illnesses, fatalities, and supply shortages. Also, COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital face social isolation, physical discomfort, and a dread of dying. PTSD is more likely to develop as a result of these experiences. Furthermore, because of the need to self-quarantine, the danger may be amplified in the coming weeks when these persons may lack urgent social support.

Prolonged treatment in intensive care units (ICUs) for sepsis, and in particular, intubation, were linked to some of the highest rates of medical PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 35 percent of ICU survivors experiencing clinically significant PTSD symptoms after leaving the ICU. As a result, in addition to "post-intubation syndrome" in survivors, once a patient is medically stable, it is critical to assess and treat psychiatric effects such as PTSD, which are common.

Symptoms of PTSD include:

• Presence of intrusive symptoms, such as recurring and disturbing memories of the event, nightmares, or flashbacks of the trauma
• Avoiding traumatic event reminders, such as distressing memories of the trauma, avoiding the location or persons linked with the trauma
• Negative emotional symptoms, such as guilt, rage, or shame, as well as a loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities
• Hypervigilance, difficulty sleeping, and increased arousal.

Consequences of PTSD

PTSD is commonly associated with significant changes in the autonomic nervous system, particularly an increase in sympathetic nervous system activity (the adrenaline system that sustains the “fight, flight, or freeze” responses) and a deficit in the parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” system). PTSD also has connections to increased activity in brain networks involved in danger detection and negative emotional responses and decreased activity in networks involved in executive control, decision making, and emotional regulation, as well as deficiencies in brain circuits involved in reward.

PTSD can last for decades if left untreated. People with PTSD cannot just "get over it," and in some circumstances, the disorder is persistent and insidious, worsening rather than improving over time. It also has links to significant distress and disruption of social and occupational functioning, leading to serious problems in relationships and at work.

Treatment of PTSD

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and disease necessitates long-term psychiatric and psychological interventions.

If you or someone you care about has PTSD, it's vital to know that effective treatments are available. Psychiatric drugs (such as SSRI, antidepressants, and prazosin for nightmares) and kinds of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy that involve "emotional processing" of the trauma are examples of this. These include prolonged exposure therapy, eye-movement desensitization and reprogramming (EMDR), and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. Other types of psychotherapy not involving direct trauma processing, such as cognitive processing therapy (CPT-C), interpersonal therapy (IPT), present-centered therapy (PCT), and mindfulness-based therapies, can also be beneficial.

Ways to strengthen our emotional resilience during COVID-19

There are several things we can all do right now to enhance our emotional resilience. These are simple things like getting enough sleep, eating a varied and balanced diet, exercising regularly, and, most importantly, maintaining relationships with family and friends. We are still living in difficult times, and though we may need to remain physically apart from one another, we must remain socially connected.