The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented crisis that requires us to develop essential stress management mechanisms while protecting ourselves from infection.
Just like a natural disaster, this pandemic is likely to cause psychological distress among the population. In the United States, Hurricane Katrina caused many traumas and many survivors experimented elevated mental and physical health problems in subsequent years; a study find symptoms of post-traumatic stress in residents twelve years later.
Following the Dawson College shooting in Montreal in 2006, researchers find that use of services among students and staff has increased. They had a higher prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance use and other anxiety disorders.
But the COVID-19 pandemic differs from other mass traumatic events in ways that make it particularly toxic: vast geographic scope, unpredictability, and sudden and widespread disruption to our economies and health systems.
What’s particularly difficult about the pandemic is not knowing when or how it will end, says Portia Jackson-Preston, a professor of public health at California State University, Fullerton.
As scientists race to find a vaccine and public health officials struggle to contain the spread of infection, coping mechanism experts say a critical survival strategy must include practicing self-care home.
“If we don’t learn to manage ourselves, how are we going to get through this? Because it’s definitely a marathon, it’s not a sprint,” says Jackson-Preston, who studies burnout and self-care practices among hospital and public health staff.
A recently published review summary some of the adverse psychological effects of midlife, including symptoms of post-traumatic stress, confusion and anger. Longer duration of quarantine, fear of infection, financial loss, inadequate supplies or information, frustration and boredom were identified as specific triggers.
Compared to the pre-COVID baseline, there has been a dramatic increase 16 percent drop on the mental health of Canadians, according to the Morneau Shepell Mental Health Index. And a staggering 81 percent of those surveyed said the pandemic was having a negative impact on their mental health.
Stress and psychological distress can chronically activate our stress response, or “fight or flight,” system, producing sustained high levels of cortisol, weakening our immune system over time.
Taking care to mitigate this impairment means managing stress levels as much as possible, says Jackson-Preston.
Taking care of yourself can help alleviate psychological distress and anxiety caused by the pandemic and prevent lasting adverse psychological consequences. The Canadian Mental Health Association recommends self-care as a coping strategy.
The World Health Organization defines self-care as “the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health care provider” . Broad in concept, it encompasses hygiene, nutrition and lifestyle as well as environmental and socio-economic factors.
Because many of us are in isolation or quarantine, at home self-care activities are important right now. This might include listening to music, gardening, meditating, calling a friend or loved one, taking prescription medications, and taking a shower.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada has published a guide to self-care and resilience and the Quebec government also recently released an English version of its COVID-19 self-care guide, detailing specific information on caring for children, sick people and people with disabilities.
Roberta K. Timothy, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, says it’s important to recognize the collective impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and monitor levels of depression and depression. anxiety over time.
In an email correspondence, she wrote: “It is necessary to grieve what is happening, especially with our communities seeing or experiencing so much loss… Take time to adapt to the many changes and additional challenges. »
Jackson-Preston adds: “We’re all going to experience some elements of (depression) and it might be scary for people who haven’t experienced it before. »
Advice on self-care is particularly relevant for frontline health workers.
“Second victim syndrome” is the term invented by Dr. Albert Wu, internist and professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, describe the unique trauma of healthcare workers who live with stressful patient-related events, such as unexpected deaths or complications.
The stress of COVID-19 is compounded, says Wu. “It’s a bit unique because there is a fear of contagion, a fear of being infected, and the fear of potentially passing the infection on to family or loved ones .”
Wu co-founded the Resilience in Stressful Events (RISE) program – a peer support team of trained on-call doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains who respond to calls from staff members regarding events and stressful experiences.
“We are seeing a huge increase in the number of calls (to RISE). We get as many calls a day as we would typically get in a month,” Wu says.
The 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Toronto caused similar distress among health care workers. Between 29 and 35 percent suffered psychological distress. And those who worked in high-risk hospital units experienced greater symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
Healthcare workers benefited resources that encouraged them to think about their stressors, as well as tangible support from their institutions – for example, meetings in which workers discussed and normalized their feelings of stress and shared coping strategies were useful.
For healthcare workers currently on the front lines, many of whom may already be burnedRapidly changing protocols and less than ideal working conditions – such as inadequate personal protective equipment – contribute to ongoing stress.
And without the usual team of mental health professionals present, many front-line workers could find themselves in the difficult situation of ensure mental health treatment of patients with COVID-19.
Maintain mental staff health is essential to the effective fight against infectious diseases. For those dealing with secondary traumatic stress, the Canadian Psychological Association has approved recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create “a menu of self-care activities you enjoy.”
When asked what types of self-care activities healthcare workers need, Wu emphasizes getting enough sleep, taking guilt-free breaks, and maintaining a routine. He also says it’s important to participate in activities and distractions that you usually enjoy.
“(Ask yourself) for a moment, in a quiet moment, how you are doing. I think it’s worth honoring your own service, appreciating the fact that you’re really doing good for society,” Wu says.
It also suggests healthcare workers thank colleagues and collaborators “more frequently than they otherwise would” and contact friends, family and co-workers for regular check-ins.
Organizations and systems could make self-care more conducive to staff and workers by first recognizing that they are in high-risk environments, in which the risks of psychological trauma are higher than normal, Wu says .
Hospital and clinic systems should promote communication about workers’ safety needs and the resources available to help doctors cope and remind workers to be patient and kind to themselves. “They should care about the well-being of their workers, both in the short and long term,” he adds.
Wu says his own program is currently collaborating with other resources at Hopkins to answer calls, by phone or in person, while checking in with units that need it most – all while adhering to hygiene guidelines hands and keeping six feet apart. distance from others.
In order for us to care for ourselves individually, it is essential to note that we first need a robust public mental health response and a broader social safety net to ease the burden of coercion economic.
When we are able to care for ourselves, we are stronger, more resilient, and able to care for others – which is exactly what we need right now.
