PTSD & COVID-19

COVID-19 presents a unique set of circumstances that can increase the vulnerability for some predictors of post traumatic stress.

The threat of the disease is persistent and pervasive, without a predictable endpoint. The survival response remains turned on, taking a toll on physical, mental and emotional resilience.

Those continuing to work on the frontline, such as healthcare providers, have multilayered exposure to this threat: Direct exposure and increased health risk, secondary exposure through witnessing others’ suffering from the disease, and the added concern of putting one’s own loved ones at higher risk.

It is more challenging to use the known protective factors to buffer traumatic impact. Added helplessness in terms of less access to needed protective equipment, or reduced numbers in working teams, as well as the need to physically distance and reduce direct contact with others, can result in added isolation.

Proactive steps toward bolstering physical, mental and emotional resilience are even more important during this time.