Thank you to Revd Steve Murphy for allowing me to feature your article in this blog.
Many of us have heard of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), in the news/magazines and social media stories. In my experience these examples are about soldiers who have returned from war zones or individuals who have been abused and/or assaulted over long periods of time. But the idea that medical illnesses and traumatic medical experiences can cause their own PTSD symptoms is something I have never thought about fully but if I'm honest, over the years, I have definitely experienced some symptoms of medical trauma and PTSD after sudden longer stays (over 3 days) in hospital.
This fetching article page popped up on my Facebook page with the recognisable face of a friend from my time living up in the NW of England.
In the article, Steve talks about how people make comments about "looking well" or "looking fine" things those with chronic conditions are used to hearing. In addition, how PTSD sucked the joy out of life.
I have felt and experienced similar things and have never truly attributed it to my medical traumas. In my experience, my anxiety levels go through the roof, I just want to sleep and feel exhausted. I have very low energy levels and no motivation or drive. I become despondent, have low mood, lose the fight, and feel utterly guilt ridden... Everything becomes difficult, life just seems a bit pointless, like there should be more to it than there is. All the other things that you have struggled with in the past come up like bereavement, loss, previous trauma. It hurts but you are numb all at once.
For many, Covid may have been the trigger for them to experience some PTSD type symptoms, so, let us take a look and learn more about it all...
What is PTSD?
According to the NHS [2], PTSD can happen after a person experiences an event that is disturbing and affects a third of people who have a traumatic experience. It is characterised by feelings of guilt, flashbacks, concentration difficulties and sleep problems but there can be many varying combinations of symptoms. No one person experiences PTSD in the same way. People who repeatedly experience traumatic situations, such as severe neglect, abuse, or violence, may be diagnosed with complex PTSD. This can cause similar symptoms to PTSD and may not develop until years after the event.
Faces about PTSD [3], medical trauma is a misunderstood and unreported source of PTSD and often goes undiagnosed. Even those that state having symptoms of anxiety or emotional distress are often not given psychiatric assessments while in hospital. Medical trauma occurs from events that cause helplessness, terror and/or intense fear such as being diagnosed with a life altering or threatening illness and extended or confined hospital stays.
So, what classifies as medical trauma?
It is a set of psychological and physiological responses experienced by service users to pain, injury, medical procedures, and invasive/frightening treatment experiences. Medical trauma can cause any of the symptoms of PTSD with responses varying in intensity and can become disruptive to life and daily function [4]. Multiple studies have begun to investigate the links between medical trauma, depression and anxiety.
In an article from health.com [5] stated, "Recent estimates suggest that 6.5 percent of cases of PTSD relate to a life-threatening illness." In the same article, they quoted information reported by the Lancet psychiatry in 2017 which highlighted that PTSD caused by medical events can lower the quality of a person's life.
So how come we are not talking about this in the UK?
How come after leaving hospital, our service users are rarely followed up with regards to the impacts on mental health?
What could we do?
I know that in general, seeking psychological support is important as is increasing the social support and coping skills of the individual. In addition, information regarding some of the common reactions due to what they have experienced.
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