The Psychological Trauma of Coronavirus
We haven’t seen anything like this since 1929. We never believed we would deal with anything like this in our generation. But here we are. On the edge of economic collapse and amid a trauma-inducing public health epidemic. Does it get any worse than this? Only if there are simultaneous earthquakes (sorry, SLC). While we’re all quarantined at home to help flatten the curve, not everyone is thinking about the future. The discussion of the trauma from COVID-19 isn’t on the forefront – yet.
Between the skyrocketing unemployment, the overnight poverty, and the ambiguity of whipping out an entire generation or two of people – 2020 is proving to be a pretty epic year. And I say that in not an endearing way. It’s proving to be epic in the sense of a growing wave of post-traumatic stress. Right now, we’re still in it. China and Italy are a little ahead of the US, but we’re closing in behind in a race that no one wants to be running.
We weren’t ahead of the spreading of COVID-19, but we need to be ahead of the PTSD and trauma affects this will have. In a world where helplessness, depression, anxiety, and suicide ideation are already an epidemic, those of us who work in the behavioral and mental health world know it’s going to get a hell of a lot worse before it gets better. We will need a national task force to rally behind affordability and access to care for those impacted by the PTSD of COVD-19. If folks don’t die from the virus itself, they’ll die from the aftermath if left untreated.
Some people will have the resiliency and strength to muscle through this very choppy time. But gone untreated, their loved ones for generations to come will biologically experience the imprint of COVID-19. Don’t believe me? Ask any trained trauma therapist and they’re tell you generational trauma is a real thing. We know that untreated trauma can appear and worsen with time. We know that untreated trauma leads people to an inability to cope with daily life tasks. We know that those who are predisposed to anxiety who experience a traumatic event can increase to debilitating levels. And there is evidence that trauma untreated often leads to self-medication with substances, which is a slippery slope to death by addiction.
I’m not trying to be dramatic. I’m spotlighting what I know is to come. I know trauma. I know we live in a society that is sick and still insists on stigmatizing treatment. I’m also aware we are living through an international crisis where we will see far more deaths before this “just goes away.” We need to prepare for the work ahead. We need to acknowledge the PTSD we’re all experiencing from the evolution of this pandemic. While we’re quarantined, we need to think about the future. The future includes an inordinate amount of need mental healthcare and addiction treatment. Prepare yourself.
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
