Post-traumatic Stress In The Crisis Due To The Coronavirus Pandemic
The current emergency situation due to the coronavirus speaks in our own flesh There are those who are at the forefront trying to save the situation (health workers, supermarket workers, food producers, transporters, security forces…) and there are those who remain waiting trying to avoid worsening the situation by staying at home, (in this case, all the others).
It is clear that this problem does not leave anyone indifferent. In addition to the tension experienced at home and in the workplace, there is uncertainty. “What will become of us when this is over?” Questions that almost all of us ask ourselves, and those who don’t ask themselves, will. This is where we consider that the third line of coping comes in (first the health one, second the economic one): the psychological battle to not lose one’s temper, maintain emotional balance and give each other hope.
Currently, people who call us do so because of personal crises they are experiencing whether they are anxiety attacks, uncontrolled obsessive thoughts, a feeling of paranoia, conflicts in cohabitation… that is, the demand is not for problems that have been going on for a long time, but rather problems that are awakening now, during the quarantine.
In this line of coping we have to do resistance work, hold on in our trenches and if possible, not puncture ourselves. In other words, it is important prevent the appearance of mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, or what we want to explain in this article, post-traumatic stress (PTSD)
Post-traumatic stress syndrome, defined more technically, “is characterized by the re-experiencing of highly traumatic events, symptoms due to increased arousal, and avoidance behavior of trauma-related stimuli…” ( F43.1 in the DSM-V manual).
In other words, the traumatic event is experienced as if it had not yet been left behind and was invading the present ; The body activates as if it were re-experiencing the event over and over again, leading the brain to try to escape anything that reminds us of this trauma.
Obviously, this is a problem that we will not encounter during the crisis, but will come after the fact, since, for it to occur, we must experience the first overwhelming experimentation in which our physical or emotional integrity is seriously endangered. That is why we think it is very important to prevent it.
When we talk about the threat to our physical or emotional integrity, we do not individualize the effects, but rather We emphasize the importance of others in this vital shock It has been proven that the worst traumas are not those experienced in accidents or natural disasters, but rather those experienced in relation to other human beings.
If we imprint in our brains that the threat is our own species, it is like learning that there is no safe place or refuge in the world. There the phrase “Lupus est homo homini, non homo, quom qualis sit non novit” makes sense; man is a wolf to man, when he does not recognize who the other is.
Criteria to establish the risk of post-traumatic syndrome
To talk about people vulnerable to developing PTSD, we want to point out the criteria we follow.
The level of psychological resilience of each person
This factor will play an important role in these events. Be creative in the face of adverse circumstances, know how to express unpleasant feelings and ask for help, recognize the context you are experiencing to not personalize any reaction of others, knowing how to live in the present and not anticipating an uncertain future… these are qualities that help not lose the feeling of control and, therefore, mitigate anxiety so that it does not become stress. or unbearable suffering.
According to resilience, it has the same relevance. In the face of adversity that overwhelms us, Having people who listen to us and understand us will mitigate that feeling of helplessness that is intensely recorded in post-traumatic stress problems If you are alone or have little support network, please be careful and seek outside help if you need it.
Who is most vulnerable to developing it?
We’ll see now Who are the people who are most vulnerable to this post-traumatic stress syndrome? in the quarantine situation, to later give some recommendations that help alleviate its effects.
1. Health personnel
Due to work saturation, lack of resources and experiencing deaths with total helplessness.
2. Sick people isolated in hospitals due to contagion
By losing human contact for long enough to experience it as abandonment, experiencing the suffering as unbearable.
3. Women and children victims of abuse
Since in the face of confinement measures, they will be forced (in part, by institutional order) to live with someone who hurts them, irremediably Once again, the feeling of social helplessness is repeated.
4. People with a history of mental disorders or with high sensitivity
Their limit to withstand this situation is lower and makes them feel overwhelmed sooner.
5. Self-employed or entrepreneurs whose businesses are at serious risk
They see their future and that of their family dangerously threatened in addition to having insufficient support in the face of the circumstances.
6. People with sick or elderly relatives, as well as caregivers or volunteers
As we mentioned above, those who call us today do so with immense fear. Living with constant worry and fear ends up weakening our defenses and if we add this to the helplessness due to the loss of a loved one, the possibility of developing a disorder, in addition to experiencing complex grief, increases considerably.
Recommendations to prevent it
From what has been said, if the situation overflows, we panic, we lose someone, we don’t know what to do and we perceive helplessness on the part of others, enough ingredients are mixed together to develop PTSD
Below you will find some tips to keep in mind to prevent this problem, although you will have already intuited some of them from the rest of the text. As you well know, although professionals know how to treat this psychological alteration, it is still closely related to the social environment; For that reason, you can always contribute your grain of sand as part of that care network.
You will experience, if it has not already happened, feelings that bother and overwhelm you. These emotions manifest themselves both in thought, in the body and in the way we act, which is why it is very important not to deny these feelings.
Stop for a moment, focus on your breathing and be realistic with your feelings It will help you make responsible decisions and not get carried away by impulses, which would only make anguish grow with a “snowball” effect.
2. Don’t forget to take care of yourself
To care for others, you need to be well. Maintain daily hygiene routines, watch the news for only 10 minutes a day, play sports at home, spend time cooking reading a good book, watching movies with the family… everything helps to the extent that, in your circumstances, it helps you balance your emotions and continue with your day to day life.
3. Stay connected
Phone calls, video calls… are designed precisely for this, to maintain the connection wherever we are. Let’s take advantage of the good things that social networks have and stay connected to give each other support and hope If isolation and abandonment are the worst breeding grounds for PTSD, let’s look each other in the eyes even if it’s in front of a screen.
4. Faced with the inevitable, stay in the present
We will not deny reality, there will be circumstances in which it is impossible to avoid isolation and the feeling of helplessness. Experiencing the loss of a loved one, working as a healthcare worker and becoming overwhelmed, getting sick and experiencing isolation for many days…
Thus, Strategies to stay in the present will help you not get carried away by what was and what will be, and will keep your mind active working for your emotional balance. Applause on the balconies, donations and messages of support, letters to the sick… are examples of what we can do as human beings to overcome this difficult time.
It is never too late, think that face-to-face help and support can arrive when this is over, and recover your well-being.
Author: Juan Fernández-Rodríguez Labordeta, psychologist at Terapéutica en Alza.
