AMITA Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital issued the following announcement on Aug. 1.
The state officially entered Phase 4 of its Restore Illinois Plan on June 26, 2020. Although stricter social distancing measures may need to be reinstituted if COVID-19 cases rise, restaurants, bars and gyms have opened to limited capacity for now. Chicagoland seems to be slowly but surely going back to the way it was — but what if you’re not feeling the same way?
It’s OK if you still feel anxious about leaving your home, or if you’re having trouble giving a name to what you’re feeling. I understand what you’re going through. You — and millions of your fellow Americans — may be experiencing traumatic stress. I’m here to help you understand, accept and recover from the emotional trauma of COVID-19 so that you can mentally “come out of lockdown” when you feel ready.
Exposure to Trauma Is Common, but Reactions Differ Widely
What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word “trauma?” Is it being in a war? Severe injury? Sexual assault? Gun violence?
It’s not unusual if you do. Our minds tend to think of the most extreme examples first, which is why many of us perceive trauma as a rare event. But exposure to trauma is in fact very common. As many as 90% of adults in the U.S. are estimated to have experienced at least one potentially traumatic event in their lifetime.
That doesn’t mean everyone has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Just as there is a world of difference between a broken toe and a broken spine, reactions to trauma exposure exist on a spectrum.
The “3 E’s” of COVID-19 Trauma
One framework to help us understand this spectrum of responses is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) model of trauma — also known as the 3 E’s:
Event
What constitutes a traumatic event? Everyone is different, so a traumatic event for one person might not be traumatic for another. Examples during the COVID-19 pandemic include:
Fear of infection
The isolation of sheltering in place
Being diagnosed with COVID-19
Job loss or economic insecurity
The death of a loved one
Prolonged or extreme exposure to the trauma of others (common among first responders)
Experience
How do you experience the event? Your experience can be influenced by how you were feeling before and during the event, as well as your personality, your interpretation of the event and even genetic and biological factors. Other people’s reaction to the event can also have an effect on your experience. Did people believe you and validate how you felt? Or did they minimize the event or refuse to take it seriously?
Effects
Afterward, what effects might the event have on you? The effect of a traumatic event varies depending on the event and the experience. Some people experience a healthy stress response and seem to “bounce back” from the event. Other folks might experience significant symptoms of traumatic stress and later undergo a period of post-traumatic growth, where they reach an even greater level of well-being than they had prior to the event.
Other trajectories, however, can be cause for concern:
Vicarious trauma, where you take on someone else’s trauma as your own and may experience symptoms of PTSD yourself
Moral injury, in which a traumatic event forces you to make a decision that does not align with your core values; for example, a doctor being forced to choose how to allocate scarce medical resources during a deadly crisis
Major depressive disorder or exacerbation of pre-existing mental illness
Acute stress disorder (ASD)
PTSD
Acute vs. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
ASD and PTSD share many of the same symptoms:
Negative mood: Difficulty experiencing positive emotions
Avoidance of places, activities or people that remind you of the event; trying not to think about or have feelings about the event
Changes in arousal: Being easily startled or frightened, trouble sleeping, trouble concentrating, irritability and angry outbursts, severe emotional distress or physical reactions to reminders of the event
What distinguishes the two conditions is onset and duration:
ASD PTSD
| Symptoms come on quickly following a traumatic event | Symptoms present slowly after event |
| Symptoms dissipate relatively quickly (approx. one month) | Symptoms last longer than one month |
| Dissociative symptoms (feeling as if things are not real or being in a daze) | Re-experiences trauma as nightmares, flashbacks and intrusive memories |
| More likely to engage in reckless or self-destructive behavior | |
| Suffers more severe changes in mood and cognition (guilt or shame, hopelessness about future, negative beliefs about the world) |
How to Heal from COVID-Related Trauma
The best place to start is by assessing your current stress level related to COVID-19:
Length: five questions
When to take it: right now
Consider speaking to a therapist if: your total score is greater than 9
Acute Stress Disorder Scale for the DSM-5
Length: 14 questions
When to take it: within a month, if you are still feeling anxious
Consider speaking to a therapist if: your score is 3 or higher for any of the items
Length: 20 questions
When to take it: after one month, if you are still feeling anxious
Consider speaking to a therapist if: your total score is greater than 33
You can take the following steps to help alleviate your anxiety:
Practice basic self-care: This includes getting a full night’s sleep, eating nutritious meals, getting as much physical activity as you can and taking your regular medications
Stay connected and be open with family and friends about how you’re feeling
Engage in activities that bring you joy, gratitude and a sense of purpose and accomplishment
Original source can be found here.
Source: AMITA Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital
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