Covid-19 swept 2020 away. The sudden lockdown, the separations, loss of jobs, economy, loved ones. All of these have culminated in unbearable trauma for us. Will we ever recover? Many suicides have been reported all over the world.
The trauma is too much to handle. We also observe that some people are resilient and some just breakdown. This is known as PTSD- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It could occur due to natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, hurricanes. It could also occur to refugees fleeing civil strife. PTSD also happens during epidemics causing fear.
The good news is that PTSD is treatable. PTSD also occurs after violent events like riots, pogroms, etc. It’s important to realize that such an experience does not allow you to become normal for a long time. People may get vivid flashes from the past. People suffering from the condition can have frightening thoughts and memories of what happened, which can make them emotionally numb at the moment. It is important to acknowledge past events and get treated with medication and psychotherapy. One can identify triggers and ensure that we are not triggered in any way.
The biggest victims are health care workers, police, social workers and other frontline workers who are seeing things like death, isolation, heartbreak, and despair at close quarters. While others who watch on television or social media are advised to avoid news that could trigger them. Besides the financial costs of COVID, the emotional costs cannot be calculated.
Just yesterday in Mumbai, an alert policeman saved a woman from drowning after she attempted suicide when her husband passed away due to COVID. Please be alert if you see someone spiraling down post-trauma of losing someone to COVID and do reach out to us at NAMI INDIA.
Team NAMI INDIA
Recent Comments