Covid-19: Mental Trauma on the Rise
Trauma is any distressing event in which an individual feels significantly threatened emotionally, psychologically, or physically. Most people by now would have had some recent experience of Covid-19 related trauma with themselves or someone in their social circle being affected. Other traumas can include incidents such as a car accident, abuse or neglect, the sudden death of a loved one, a violent criminal act, exposure to the violence of war, or a natural disaster. Many people recover from trauma, especially when aided by the support of family and friends, and can bounce back to similar or even better levels of functioning than before the incident. For others, the effects of trauma are lasting, causing a person to live with deep emotional pain, fear, confusion, or Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS), long after the incident took place. Often, the support, guidance, and assistance of mental health professionals is crucial in minimizing the risk of developing these chronic symptoms.
In many instances, people have a tremendous capacity to resolve their trauma without any professional assistant. Following the September 11th attacks in New York, many feared that there would be huge numbers of city residents who had witnessed the attacks experiencing PTSD type responses. However, the numbers of people showing signs of PTSD were much lower than expected. This illustrates how people can recover from seemingly catastrophic events, with little or no treatment.
On the other hand, some people can experience severe PTSD from relatively ‘minor’ traumas that, in comparison to 9/11 seem far less significant. In South Africa, it is estimated that at least 5 million South Africans (10% of the population) have been affected by PTSD. Our crime statistics would indicate that the number of South Africans who have gone through significant trauma is far higher than that. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to be driving even higher numbers of people to present with PTSD symptoms.
It is clear that trauma is a very unpredictable response that varies from person to person. It is not always easy to distinguish between individuals that will adapt successfully on their own from those who need some kind of clinical intervention to help them recover. People with robust internal coping mechanisms and strong family and social support groups are likely to be less affected by trauma symptoms. Those whose lives have been impacted by COVID-19 should be on the lookout for any tell-tale signs such as nightmares, flashbacks, difficulty sleeping, poor concentration, and jumpiness, among others. For those affected, trauma counselling interventions are an effective means of addressing the symptoms and learning effective coping skills. Early intervention can prevent long-standing, chronic problems (such as PTSD) that can have a significant and protracted impact on one’s personal and work life.
Robert Pearman, Counselling Psychologist
robbiepsychologist.co.za
