Page 45 - Total War on PTSD Final
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workers”. “Medical staff are being faced with daily life-or-death situations just in the same way as in Iraq or Afghanistan”, Betteridge claims.
There are also recommendations for those individuals or Veterans already experiencing PTSD, which may be elevated additionally during the pandemic. According to Barbash, “the answer is working with a trained, experienced, and licensed trauma specialist. Not just a general therapist who happens to have also been trained in EMDR. Trauma psychology is very specialized area of mental health treatment”.
Even before COVID-19 made its way to the U.S., the U.S. was a clinically anxious nation. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, just over “19% of American adults will experience at least one anxiety disorder over any 12-month period. Many of these disorders are ones that are already social or compulsive in nature”. For example, people with COVID-19 pandemic, but a number are, especially obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, acute stress disorder and separation anxiety disorder will react differently to information on COVID-19 than those without these disorders. Globally, we are being told by public health and political officials not to come within six feet of one another, so separation and anxiety disorders could hit these individuals particularly hard.
Self-isolation can worsen the mental health status of people who are prone to anxiety and social phobias. Cutting social bonds and isolation in general can have a negative impact on mental health. Maintaining consistent routines and interaction with people, as well as in person counseling sessions, are essential for people with social anxieties.
Following general mental health advice from the experts is helpful for most individuals dealing with anxiety and depression during this pandemic. One of the best coping
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