Editorial, J Trauma Stress Disor Treat Vol: 10 Issue: 1
Why COVID Survivors Might develop PTSD
Tomislav Franic*
Department of Psychiatry, University of Split, Split, Croatia
*Corresponding Author:
Tomislav Franic
Department of Psychiatry, University of Split, Split, Croatia
Email: tomofranic@yahoo.com
Received: January 06, 2021 Accepted: January 21, 2021 Published: January 28, 2021
Citation: Franic T (2021) Why COVID Survivors Might Develop PTSD. J Trauma Stress Disor Treat 10: e125.
Abstract
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Keywords: .
As after a long time when someone is finally physically recovered from COVID-19, the person may still emotional sufferings. As being diagnosed with a life threatening pandemic might have taken a serious toll on one’s psychological well-being. The one who had suffered from COVID-19 might have developed the fear of dying, loneliness, social isolation, and anxiousness because of the thought of getting ill again, these all factors might have led a person to experience decline in mental stability after recovering from coronavirus.
Although it is too early to understand the long-lasting psychological impact on people who were tested positive for COVID-19. Data shows that these people may be at a higher risk for developing mental health issues, especially post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
COVID Connection with PTSD
People have a tendency to develop PTSD after a traumatic event (e.g. natural disaster, a serious car accident, or a violent personal assault). Symptoms may include:
• Nightmares/Vivid dreams
• Flashbacks in mind or Disturbing thoughts and feelings related to the event
• Sadness
• Fear
• Anger or anxiousness
• Feelings of detachment
• One tends to Avoid things that stirs up memories of the particular traumatic event
Research on COVID-19 Survivors and PTSD
People who endure a dangerous disease, (for example, COVID-19) might be at a high danger of creating PTSD. Regardless of whether they were close to death, or they were disengaged from all human contact (other than a couple of medical care laborers), the distress from the experience may prompt PTSD in certain people.
Specialists in China have delivered some early exploration on what they have found up until now. The analysts mentioned that patients who were released from quarantine (brief medical clinics worked to hold, isolate, and treat individuals who were diagnosed positive) complete polls about their mental well-being.
They directed PTSD agenda to 714 individuals and found that a stunning 96.2% of members experienced side effects of PTSD.
They additionally found that these people experienced symptoms before being released from quarantine centres.
Few conditions and factors which they experienced may have influenced their mental health included:
• Social isolation
• Perceived danger
• Uncertainty
• Physical discomfort
• Side effects of medication
• Fear of passing on the virus to others
• Negative new stories and people’s perception about the pandemic
The above mentioned factors had caused most of the individuals to experience emotional disturbances including:
• Loneliness
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Insomnia
There has not been any examination distributed about people who have had the infection however were not hospitalized, yet it is very conceivable that even people who were isolated in their own homes (or the individuals who were genuinely asymptomatic) may in any case be at a higher danger for PTSD.
PTSD Treatment
Luckily, PTSD is treatable. Primary treatment normally includes psychotherapy. Therapy can help individuals sort out their experience and oversee their side effects.
There had been various types of therapy are found effective in treating individuals with PTSD related to COVID-19:
• Exposure therapy: It assists people with confronting the circumstances and recollections that they find upsetting-and thusly attempt to maintain a strategic distance from. It very well may be especially successful for people who experience flashbacks and bad dreams. A few therapists utilize virtual reality projects to permit patients to securely return the environment in which they encountered the trauma.
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): this type of therapy combines exposure therapy along with guided eye movements to help people process traumatic memories and change their reactions to them.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT assists people with perceiving and replace thoughts and behaviors that keep them stuck. It could be utilized related to exposure therapy.
Sometimes, medication may likewise be utilized related to talk therapy. There is anything but a particular drug that settle PTSD, however there are medications that can control some of the symptoms.
Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications are usually prescribed to those who suffer from PTSD. Prazosin may likewise be endorsed to lessen nightmares.
Numerous therapists and psychiatrists are currently offering web treatment—particularly during this pandemic.
So people who are in danger of developing PTSD (or the individuals who figure out they may have developed symptoms) don't need to wait until social distancing guidelines are relieved. It is possible to get talk therapy or get a prescription from an online provider.
