On Medical PTSD in the Time of Coronavirus
I just saw this candid, brilliant article by writer Tessa Miller (thanks, Alyx!) and it made me think hard about how deep and long-lasting the impact of the COVID-19 crisis has been for people who have experienced, and are experiencing, severe acute and chronic illness.
Miller writes, about needing emergency treatment for a kidney infection, “the thought of going to the hospital—a place where I'd received life-changing diagnoses, where I spent months languished with flare-ups and life-threatening bacterial superbugs, where I had my symptoms dismissed by doctors, where I wondered if I'd ever again see a view different than the brick wall outside my hospital room's window, and now, a place overburdened by COVID—was crushing.”
In a May 2020 article for Health, author A. C. Shilton interviewed researcher Maia Kredentser of the University of Manitoba about the potential effect of the global pandemic and lockdowns on people experiencing PTSD. “"We know that perceived threat and social isolation may exacerbate symptoms of PTSD,” Kredentser stated.
Shilton goes on to cite interviewee Amanda Katchur, a Pennsylvania psychologist. “Dr. Katchur adds that much of the imagery associated with the pandemic—think hospitals and ventilators and people in masks—can be deeply triggering for folks with past medical traumas. ‘It reminds them of being in the hospital,’ she says, adding that even just seeing hospital imagery on TV news programs can be upsetting.”
But what is to be done? There is still controversy within the psychology community as to what life experiences can lead to a diagnosis of medical PTSD; in general, painful and difficult treatment for acute issues like cancer, sudden severe injury, and traumatic childbirth experiences are accepted as a possible source of medical PTSD, while ongoing treatment for chronic illnesses is less widely regarded as a potential cause.
The pandemic has made even previously “routine” treatments like infusions feel riskier, less comfortable, and even dangerous. Skipping treatments, or even stretching out the intervals between treatment to the absolute maximum recommended, also feel like risky decisions; if my overall health suffers, will I be more susceptible to possible infection?
And at the same time, medical providers are overworked and overburdened, and may not have the time or even the energy to offer the kind of support and reassurance needed by patients with medical PTSD. If any of this feels like it describes you, you’re far from alone. You might want to take a look at this factsheet from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and see if it lines up with your own experiences. They’ve shared some coping strategies there as well.
Nothing beats therapy for helping people cope with PTSD, but seeking therapy in cases of medical PTSD is a double challenge, particularly where negative encounters with therapists, social workers, and other mental health professionals are part of the original trauma. And again, we are all facing the challenge of finding help when providers are overburdened and oversubscribed. It’s not an easy road, but it’s the best road out of this difficult place.
