Page 44 - Total War on PTSD

The WHO breaks down these processes into very practical steps. “First, to minimize the mortality rate, life-threatening injuries should be properly and promptly treated as a priority. Second, potentially disabling injuries should be rapidly detected and treated to reduce impairment and ensure a quick return to normal life. Third, experienced health professionals should be assigned to provide trauma health care for people in need, Lastly, the management models of disaster or public health emergencies should be developed focusing on the phases of mitigation and preparedness, which would better ensure assistance to victims” (World Health Organization (WHO), 2004).
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “The COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak has the potential to increase stress and anxiety, both because of the fear of catching the virus and because of uncertainty about how the outbreak will affect us socially and economically”. Around the globe, many people are fearful and anxious. Medical research shows that forced quarantine can have long-lasting effects which can lead to PTSD and severe depression.
As the physical coronavirus pandemic began to spread, experts have noticed an emotional pandemic is subsequently developing. Many doctors around the globe are reporting the spread of “despair, worry and depression among their patients, especially those already suffering from some form of anxiety disorder” (Kluger, 2020).
Military Veterans themselves are comparing the situation healthcare workers are facing on the front lines with the war some of them have endured. Rates of PTSD among military Veterans have risen as the phenomenon is just becoming better understood.
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