Beyond Pandemic Stress: Ongoing Crisis Can Cause Trauma
You don’t have to fight a war or be the victim of a violent crime to experience trauma. Living through the catastrophe of COVID-19 has brought on emotions many of us didn’t know we had. You don’t have to be on the frontlines to find the past year psychologically distressing. The ongoing uncertainty, isolation and fear is having a real impact on emotional health, and in some cases causing trauma.
The Centers for Disease Control defines a traumatic event as an “event, or series of events, that causes moderate to severe stress reactions.” These are characterized by a sense of horror, helplessness, serious injury or the threat of serious injury or death.