PTSD symptoms due to the pandemic

 

Due to the Covid or covid related concerns, the Royal college of psychiatrists stated a possible figure of 230,000+ requests for PTSD symptoms across England. Post traumatic stress disorders can happen when stress is either sudden like an accident or gathers due to longer term stresses. It was first acknowledged in soldiers returning from the Vietnam war and had previously been called shell shock which was noted after World War 1. In America it was noted that those who had grown up in unsafe households were more prone to getting PTSD.

Symptoms of PTSD are many such as feeling nowhere is safe, not many positive thoughts, nightmares that maybe unrelated to covid, being jumpy or on edge, avoiding places even when told it was ok like the end of lockdowns, avoiding friends even when everyone was vacinnated and healthy, not driving, having everything delivered to avoid shops and people, addictions occurring even when this had not been a previous issue, increased anger,

As time moved forward it was seen in those that had gone through traumatic incidents like harm or abuse. As a result, what was termed traumatic was also expanded even today as coercive control has additionally been noted as harmful. At times some may comment that these things didn’t happen in my day but there was also silencing ways that discouraged expressions of pain.  We have seen this with the older mother and baby units where mothers had their children adopted only because they were unwed or child was a result of harm. At that time there wasn’t aftercare from services or even families as it was seen as shameful to discuss what happened.

So, when we look at today and the pandemic some may say that we all lived through it and yes this is true however not everyone could take a few years off without financial concerns and having everyone stuck indoors was hard as it seemed to go on far longer than we had all assumed. Even today there is talk about countries stopping travel and a fourth vaccine needing to be developed as well. It’s been hard on families and those living alone as even the most ideal family found not being social and going out more than they could handle. The news showed us death statistics often and how difficult it was for those working on the frontline; this made it harder to say one was struggling if they didn’t fit into either situation so people sat on their stress and waited it out. Saved up stress can start to overwhelm the body and lead to physical ailments. People were saying things like my heart keeps racing or I have a bad headache or stomach ache. Some were not so focused on the details of the pandemic but what death, health and past traumas were doing to their thinking, feeling too cold or hot, dizziness, feeling guilt shame or worthlessness, etc.

Some of those with adverse backgrounds who had  trauma before Covid did also get complex PTSD which were some of the those listed above and trauma before school leaving age, possibly cause by the parental role model, trauma was longstanding from abuse or even medical conditions that had a painful addition, the trauma may have been in isolation, may still had contact with person that caused harm, noting it may take decades for complex PTSD to be noticed as symptoms maybe seen as other causes like work stress.

For help contact your GP for referral to IAPT, private counselling or psychotherapy, EMDR or brainspotting, organisations like CALM, SANE, MIND. If those with symptoms are under 18 can look at Youngminds or NSCPP