Do you ever have nightmares about the pandemic? Or do intrusive thoughts or memories pop up that make it difficult to function? Have you been having difficulty concentrating in the past few years? If so, you may be dealing with pandemic-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Several years into the pandemic, we began to understand just how heavy of an impact the pandemic has had on global mental health. The pandemic brought unimaginable pain and trauma to many people. If you’re still struggling with emotional distress due to the pandemic, you’re not alone.
Here’s what we’ve discovered about pandemic related PTSD and how you can cope if you’re experiencing this.
Does the pandemic count as trauma?
Trauma is the emotional response humans have to overwhelming or frightening situations. Some of the most common examples of events that cause trauma include:
- Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse of a child
- Physical assault
- Rape and sexual assault
- Gun violence and mass shootings
- Being the victim of or witnessing domestic violence
- Natural disasters
- Living in a war zone or going to combat
- Sudden illness or injury
- Car accidents
What constitutes a traumatic event isn’t just about the event itself; it’s also very much about how each person interprets it. Some situations – like child abuse – cause a trauma response in almost everyone who experiences them. However, others, like natural disasters, are experienced as traumatic by some people and not by others.
Any event or situation that overwhelms your ability to cope can be considered traumatic. We were all impacted by the pandemic in different ways, and the trauma we experienced in response to the pandemic also varied as a result.
For some people, the pandemic may not have been very traumatic. Maybe they (and their loved ones) never got seriously ill. They may not have faced any financial or employment difficulties due to the lockdowns. They weren’t on social media and didn’t get flooded with information about pandemic-related deaths.
On the other hand, the pandemic was traumatic for many people. They may have become seriously ill themselves or had loved ones die during the pandemic. They may have suffered significant financial hardships or lost their jobs. They may live with a health condition that causes them to fear for their lives or health.
Both reactions are valid. The pandemic was very traumatic for many people around the world. Even if some others around you didn’t experience it this way, that doesn’t mean the pandemic “didn’t count” as a traumatic event.
What is the relationship between the pandemic and PTSD?
Most of the time, the trauma response goes away on its own after a traumatic event. Some people find their levels of post-traumatic stress don’t go away with time and may even get worse. Suppose you’re still experiencing trauma symptoms months after the traumatic event. In that case, you may be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Research has shown there is a significant link between the Covid-19 pandemic and PTSD.
In one study, over 30% of people who had Covid-19 were at risk for PTSD at the 3-month follow-up. The most common symptoms reported in this study include difficulty falling asleep, concentrating, and having upsetting memories or thoughts about the pandemic. Nearly 50% of Covid survivors were also more likely to have depression[1].
Another study found the rates of PTSD in children got much higher during the pandemic, regardless of whether the children themselves had COVID-19[2].
Having PTSD does not mean you’re weak. We don’t know precisely why some people developed PTSD after the pandemic and not others, but some groups of people were at higher risk, including children, healthcare workers, and people with pre-existing mental health conditions.
There are so many reasons why this pandemic was so traumatic and led to many people developing PTSD.
Fear of death and illness
Especially before the vaccines became available, many of us lived with a constant fear of illness and death, whether it was fear for our own lives or loved ones. Lack of information and spreading of misinformation contributed to this fear.
Financial uncertainty
Many people lost their jobs during the pandemic, and the resulting financial uncertainty and poverty were very traumatic for many people.
Social isolation
Research shows being in lockdown or quarantine increased the risk of PTSD across different epidemics, and the Covid-19 pandemic was no exception. Reports indicate people living in areas with stricter quarantine regulations were more likely to experience emotional distress[3].
Complex grief
Millions of lives were lost to Covid-19, which resulted in complex grief for many loved ones. Dealing with a loss is always difficult, but Covid-related deaths were additionally traumatic due to their sudden nature. Many people also blamed themselves for possibly transmitting the virus to their loved ones.
Social stigma
Asians and Asian Americans experienced race-related violence due to COVID-19, which added to the trauma of the pandemic for these groups. There was also a social stigma associated with testing positive for Covid, which led many people to hide their Covid status.
Brain impacts of Covid-19
Lastly, it’s recently been found that the COVID-19 infection itself led to long-term brain damage in some infected individuals. The virus can lead to brain inflammation, which can put a person at higher risk for mental health problems like PTSD and depression[4].
Do you have PTSD from the pandemic?
Most of us felt some sort of stress from living through the pandemic. But is what you’re experiencing a sign of PTSD? Answer these questions; if you answer yes, then it could be a sign you have PTSD and should talk to a mental health provider.
- Do you experience intrusive thoughts or images about the pandemic that are so intense it feels like you’re re-experiencing the height of the pandemic?
- Are you jumpy or easily startled? Do you get easily frightened at things like someone getting too close to you?
- Do you avoid places or people that remind you of what you lived through during the pandemic (for example, avoiding driving by the hospital where you stayed)?
- Do you have nightmares about Covid-19?
- Do you need help with concentrating or making important decisions?
- Do you feel detached from your life, like a robot going through the motions?
- Have you withdrawn from your family and friends?
- Are these symptoms making functioning at work or in your relationships difficult?
This questionnaire is not meant to provide a diagnosis of PTSD. However, if these questions resonate with you, seeing a therapist or telling your physician about what you’re experiencing may be beneficial.
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