Post-Traumatic Stress in the Coronavirus Pandemic Crisis

In this coronavirus crisis, post-traumatic stress can surface.

The current coronavirus emergency speaks for itself.. There are those who are on the front lines trying to save the situation (health workers, supermarket workers, food producers, transporters, security forces...) and there are those who are waiting and trying to avoid making the situation worse by staying at home (in this case, everyone else).

It is clear that this problem leaves no one indifferent. In addition to the stress experienced at home and in the workplace, there is the uncertainty. "What will become of us when this is over?". Questions that almost all of us ask ourselves, and whoever does not ask them, will ask them. This is where we believe the third line of coping (first the health, second the economic) comes in: the psychological battle not to lose our temper, to maintain our emotional balance and to give each other hope.

Nowadays, people who call us do so because of personal crises they are experiencing, whether they are anxiety attacks, thoughts of anxiety or thoughts of anxiety.whether anxiety attacks, uncontrolled obsessive thoughts, paranoia, conflicts in coexistence... that is to say, the demand is not for problems that have been dragging for a long time, but problems that awaken now, during the quarantine.

In this line of coping, it is up to us to resist, to hold on in our trenches and, if possible, not to prick ourselves. In other words, it is important to prevent the onset of mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, or what we want to expose in this article, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)..

• Related article, "What is trauma and how does it influence our lives?"

Post-traumatic stress

Posttraumatic stress syndrome, more technically defined, "is characterized by re-experiencing highly traumatic events, symptoms due to increased arousal and avoidance behavior of trauma-related stimuli..." (F43.1 in the DSM-V manual).

In other words, the traumatic event is experienced as if it had not yet been left behind and is invading the present; the body is activated as if it were still in the present.The body is activated as if it were facing the event again and again, which leads the brain to try to flee from everything that reminds it of this trauma.

Evidently, this is a problem that we will not encounter during the crisis, but will come later, since, in order for it to occur, we have to experience the first overwhelming experience in which our physical or emotional integrity is seriously endangered. That is why we think it is so important to prevent it.

When we talk about the threat to our physical or emotional integrity, we do not individualize the effects, but we emphasize the We emphasize the importance of others in this life-threatening shock.. It has been proven that the worst traumas are not those experienced in accidents or natural disasters, but those experienced in relation to other human beings.

If we engrave in our brain that the threat is our own species, it is like learning that there is no safe place or refuge in the world. This is where the phrase "Lupus est homo homini, non homo, quom qualis sit non novit", man is a wolf to man, when he does not recognize who the other is.

Criteria for establishing the risk of post-traumatic syndrome

To talk about people vulnerable to developing PTSD, we would like to point out the criteria we follow.

The level of psychological resilience of each person.

This factor will play an important role in these events. Being creative in the face of adverse circumstances, knowing how to express unpleasant feelings and ask for help, recognizing the context in which one is living so as not to personalize any reaction from others, knowing how to live in the present and not anticipate an uncertain future... are qualities that help not to lose the feeling of control and, therefore, to mitigate anxiety so that it does not turn into unbearable stress or suffering.

The social support network

According to resilience, it has the same relevance. In the face of adversities that overwhelm us, having people who listen to us and understand us will attenuate that feeling of helplessness that is intensely engraved in post-traumatic stress disorder.. If you are aloneAccording to resilience, it has the same relevance. In the face of adversities that overwhelm us,

having people who listen to us and understand us will attenuate that feeling of helplessness that is intensely engraved in post-traumatic stress disorder.

. If you are alone or have little support network, please be careful to seek outside help if you need it. Who is most vulnerable to developing it?Below we will look at

who are the people who are most vulnerable to post-traumatic stress syndrome

in the quarantine situation, and then give some recommendations to help mitigate its effects.

1. Health personnel

Due to the saturation of work, the lack of resources and the experience of death with total impotence.

2. Sick people isolated in hospitals due to contagion.

By losing human contact for long enough to experience it as abandonment, living the suffering as unbearable. 3. Women and children victims of mistreatmentBecause in the face of confinement measures, they will be forced (in part, by institutional order) to

live with the person who harms them, irremediably.

. Once again, the feeling of social helplessness is repeated.

4. People with a history of mental disorders or high sensitivity.

Their limit to support this situation is lower and makes them feel overwhelmed before.5. Self-employed or entrepreneurs whose businesses are at serious risk.

They see their future and that of their family dangerously threatened.

and have insufficient support in the face of the circumstances. 6. People with sick or elderly relatives, as well as caregivers or volunteers.As mentioned above, today's callers do so with immense fear.

Living with constant worry and fear weakens our defenses, and if we add this to the constant worry and fear, our defenses are weakened.

If we add this to the helplessness due to the loss of a loved one, the possibility of developing a disorder, in addition to living a complex bereavement, increases considerably. Recommendations for prevention.

If the situation gets out of hand, we panic, we lose someone, we don't know what to do and we perceive helplessness on the part of others,

enough ingredients are mixed together to develop PTSD.

Below you will find some tips to keep in mind to prevent this problem, although some of them you will have already guessed from the rest of the text. As you know, although professionals know how to treat this psychological disorder, it is still closely related to the social environment; for that reason, you can always do your bit as part of that network of care.

Pay attention to your emotionsYou will experience, if it has not already happened, feelings that are uncomfortable and overwhelming. These emotions manifest themselves in your thoughts, your body and the way you act, so it is very important not to deny these feelings.

Stopping for a moment, focusing on your breathing and being realistic about your feelings will help you to make responsible decisions and not get carried away by your impulses.

will help you to make responsible decisions and not get carried away by impulses, which would only make the anxiety grow with a "snowball" effect. 2. Don't forget to take care of yourselfTo take care of others, you need to be well.

• Take daily hygiene routines, watch the news only 10 minutes a day, do sports at home, dedicate time to cooking, read a good book, watch movies, and take care of yourself.

reading a good book, watching movies with your family... everything helps to the extent that, in your circumstances, it helps you to balance your emotions and go on with your day to day life.

Let's take advantage of the good things that social networks have to offer and stay connected to give each other support and hope....

. If isolation and abandonment are the worst breeding grounds for PTSD, let's look each other in the eye, even in front of a screen.

4. In the face of the inevitable, stay in the present We will not deny reality, there will be circumstances in which it is impossible to avoid isolation and feelings of helplessness. Living through the loss of a loved one, working as [email protected] and overflowing, getting sick and experiencing isolation for many days....Here's why,

strategies to keep you in the present will help you not to get carried away by what was and what will be.

and will keep your mind active working for your emotional balance. Applause on the balconies, donations and messages of support, letters to the sick... are samples of what we can do as human beings to overcome this hard time.