By Lucy McBride and Roxane Cohen Silver, The Huffington Post, April 29, 2020
A patient calls in a panic. She was diagnosed a week ago with COVID-19, and her shortness of breath has been escalating at home. She is no longer allowed to visit her mother, who is dying in a nursing home. By video conference, we determine that her breathlessness likely stems more from her anxiety than the virus itself. Instead of sending her to the ER, I practice breathing techniques with her to calm her surging adrenaline and elevated blood pressure — and it helps.
A week later, her breathing and blood pressure are improved, but the evening news triggers a new tidal wave of dread. Traumatic images flood her thoughts as the grim reality of post-pandemic life (and perhaps another outbreak in winter?) sets in. Will work, school, relationships and even grocery shopping ever feel safe? The shortness of breath returns.
Over a month into the pandemic, we recognize this as a mental health crisis. It’s called trauma.
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