scholarly journals Exploring the impact of COVID-19 and restrictions to daily living as a result of social distancing within veterans with pre-existing mental health difficulties

2020 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Murphy ◽  
C Williamson ◽  
J Baumann ◽  
W Busuttil ◽  
N T Fear
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionData are emerging showing the adverse consequences on mental health of the general public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about the needs of veterans with pre-existing mental health difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsData were collected through a cross-sectional online survey from a randomly selected sample (n=1092) of military veterans who have sought help for mental health difficulties from a veteran-specific UK-based charity. The response rate was 25.2% (n=275). Participants were asked to complete a range of standardised mental health outcomes (post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist, common mental health difficulties (CMDs): 12-Item General Health Questionnaire, difficulties with anger: 5-Item Dimensions of Anger Reactions—Revised and alcohol misuse: Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and endorse a list of potential stressors related to changes to daily life resulting from COVID-19. Regression analyses were fitted to explore predictors of mental health severity.ResultsIt was observed that symptoms of common mental disorder and PTSD (69.3% and 65.0%, respectively) were the most commonly reported to have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Lack of social support and reporting increasing numbers of stressors related to COVID-19 were consistently associated with increasing severity of a range of mental health difficulties.ConclusionsOur findings suggest veterans who had pre-existing mental health difficulties prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 may be at increased risk of experiencing CMDs as a result of the pandemic. Intervening to improve levels of social support and offering practical guidance to better manage any additional stressors relating to the pandemic may provide strategies to help reduce the burden of mental health symptoms.

scholarly journals Psychological rehabilitation of participants of anti-terrorist operation: mechanism of supply

HUMANITARIUM ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 168-178
Author(s):  
Yulianna Yasenchuk
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Stress Disorders ◽  
Rehabilitation Services ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Military ◽  
The Impact

The article outlines the main aspects of provision of rehabilitation services for servicemen and participants in the antiterrorist operation. The concept of psychological rehabilitation in the context of a systematic approach is considered in details and its main features are formed. Special attention is paid to the study of previous work, to the mechanism of providing rehabilitation services to all servicemen. In the context of the current tasks, the legal base on this issue, the approved and priority initiatives was investigated. The most frequent distribution among the demobilized soldiers of antiterrorist operation is occupied by people with the main characteristics of post-traumatic stress disorder. The percentage correlation with such features in 2015-2017 was investigated and the main aspects of the mechanism of ensuring the full maintenance of social support were formed.Military actions and the conduct of the antiterrorist operation led to increase in the number of psychological stress disorders among the military. In the course of work we managed to find out that since the beginning of the antiterrorist operation and to date, the system of psychological rehabilitation of the military is gradually improving, but the question remains its effective functioning and compliance with world standards.After returning to a peaceful life, soldiers should be involved in rehabilitation activities and receive comprehensive complex rehabilitation in accordance with individual programs.The question was also raised on the issue of soldiers with post-traumatic stress, who had undergone rehabilitation and rehabilitation and required long-term social support. The most effective in reducing the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder is the integration of the soldiers’ negative experience in order to use it for personal growth, self-development, self-realization.

scholarly journals A Survey of Psychological Symptoms One Month Post Discharge in Patients Infected with COVID 19

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (34) ◽  
pp. 2884-2887
Author(s):  
Ajay Kumar Joopaka ◽  
Molanguri Umashankar ◽  
Pingali Srilakshmi ◽  
Pradeep Sharma Telkapalli ◽  
Chinni Krishna Banoth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Event Scale ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Corona virus disease or the (COVID 19) has caused mental health problems in the general population, in people infected and hospitalised for the disease and in patients who have recovered from the disease physically but continue to suffer from lingering mental health problems. Studies have shown stress, depression, and anxiety in one third of the survivors. Similarly post-traumatic stress disorder has been reported to be around 13 % in the survivors of COVID 19. In this study, we wanted to assess the psychological symptoms in the survivors of Covid 19 patients, one month post discharge and also assess various factors associated with the same. METHODS A cross sectional telephonic survey of the patients one month following discharge was done to understand the psychological problems. Sociodemographic data was recorded on a semi structured proforma, whereas psychological distress was recorded on patient health questionnaire - 4 (PHQ - 4) and the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was screened for by the impact of event scale revised (IES - R). RESULTS Of the 200 patients evaluated, 46.8 % scored above 20 on the impact of event scale which was considered to be a positive screen for post-traumatic stress disorder. Moderate psychological distress was reported by 10.5 % and severe by 7.5 % as measured by PHQ - 4. Being married, having other family members effected by the infection and deaths in the family were some of the factors that were significantly associated with psychological distress and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. CONCLUSIONS Continued mental health support needs to be extended to members who are considered to have recovered and discharged from the hospital following the COVID 19 infection. KEY WORDS COVID 19, Psychological Symptoms, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

scholarly journals The Impact of Natural Disaster on Mental Health of Victims Lives: Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 65-85
Author(s):  
Kristia Novia ◽  
Tita Hariyanti ◽  
Laily Yuliatun
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Natural Disaster ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

Natural disasters are still a matter of the world until today. The events pose not only physical impact but also psychological impacts that leave deep sorrow and fear. The survivors of the disaster felt they were at a very unsettled condition, felt very fearful, felt agitated for uncertain circumstances, and became very easily panicked until they could experience anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This systematic review aims to identify the impact–effects often posed by natural disasters on the soul health of survivors. Data searching is done on the Proquest, Pubmed, Science Direct, Sage, and Scopus databases that were converged in the 2013 to 2019 ranges. The psychological impact experienced by the victims after natural disaster events are depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), fear, suicide experiments, and other mental health disorders such as mood changes and a loss of interest in an activity. Natural disasters can hurt the mental health of the victims. If the psychological problems that occur to the victims are not immediately addressed, the victims will fall on more mental severe disorder conditions.

scholarly journals Analyzing the Impact of COVID-19 Trauma on Developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Emergency Medical Workers in Spain

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (17) ◽  
pp. 9132
Author(s):  
Carmen M. Martínez-Caballero ◽  
Rosa M. Cárdaba-García ◽  
Rocío Varas-Manovel ◽  
Laura M. García-Sanz ◽  
Jorge Martínez-Piedra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

The early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic presented the characteristics of a traumatic event that could trigger post-traumatic stress disorder. Emergency Medical Services workers are already a high-risk group due to their professional development. The research project aimed to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on EMS professionals in terms of their mental health. For this purpose, we present a descriptive crosssectional study with survey methodology. A total of 317 EMS workers (doctors, nurses, and emergency medical technicians) were recruited voluntarily. Psychological distress, post-traumatic stress disorder, and insomnia were assessed. The instruments were the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS-8), and the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS-8). We found that 36% of respondents had psychological distress, 30.9% potentially had PTSD, and 60.9% experienced insomnia. Years of work experience were found to be positively correlated, albeit with low effect, with the PTSD score (r = 0.133). Finally, it can be stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a traumatic event for EMS workers. The number of professionals presenting psychological distress, possible PTSD, or insomnia increased dramatically during the early phases of the pandemic. This study highlights the need for mental health disorder prevention programmes for EMS workers in the face of a pandemic.

scholarly journals Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anger and mental health of school students in Syria after nine years of conflict: a large-scale school-based study

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S260-S261
Author(s):  
Sami Jomaa ◽  
Ameer Kakaje ◽  
Ragheed Al Zohbi ◽  
Ayham Alyousbashi ◽  
Rawan N K Abdelwahed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
School Students ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Problematic Anger

AimsThe Syrian crisis has entered its ninth year with many being affected by the war. This is the largest-scale study that aims to evaluate the psychological profile of secondary school students in Syria.MethodThis is a cross-sectional study in schools in Damascus, Syria. The surveys assessed working habits, smoking, war exposure, grades, socioeconomic status (SES), social support, health-related quality of life (HRQL), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), problematic anger, and other parameters.ResultThis study included 1369 students of which 53% suffered from PTSD and 62% from problematic anger. Around 46% declared a fair or worse general health and 61% had moderate or severe mental health. Only 9.3% did not report exposure to any war-related variable. War exposure had an impact on PTSD, anger, and HRQL, but not on students' grades. Smoking, having consanguineous parents, and working did not have a clear association with grades or anger. Social support weakly reduced PTSD and anger scores. Interestingly, working was associatedwith lower PTSD scores but was associated with a worse physical component of HRQL.ConclusionThis is the largest study on school students in Syria that reports the psychological ramifications of war. Although the direct effects of war could not be precisely described, the high burden of PTSD and anger distress was a strong reflection of the chronic mental distress.

scholarly journals Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and associated factors among adolescents after 2015 Nepal Earthquake

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-55
Author(s):  
Durga Mishra ◽  
Deena Giri ◽  
Sujan Babu Marahatta
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Great Earthquake ◽  
Lower Grade ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

Background: On April 25, 2015 at 11:56 local time, a great earthquake of massive magnitude-7.8 trembler was experienced in Nepal. Along with the physical and economical loss, such disasters can have devastating consequences in adolescent’s mental health. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and associated factors among adolescents after 2015 Nepal Earthquake.Methods: A total of 140 adolescents from grade 8, 9 and 10 of two higher secondary schools were recruited in this study. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder CheckList-5 (PCL-5) of DSM-V criteria was used for the diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Chi-square test was used to assess the association.Results: Among 140 adolescents, the age range was 12 to 19 years with a mean age of 14.8 (SD=1.1) where 27.1% of the participants had Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  A statistically significant association was found between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and grade (χ² = 9.324, p<0.01), earthquake exposure (χ² =32.251, p<0.001) and death of someone close in earthquake (χ² = 9.535, p<0.01). Majority of the respondents reported symptoms of avoiding memories, thoughts, or feelings related to the stressful experience (58.57%).Conclusions: This study hopes to assist the therapist, psychiatrists and planners in the design and implementation of effective and appropriate intervention programs that can help reduce the impact of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on adolescents, aid in psychological reconstruction and decrease the long term negative mental health consequences of such disasters especially for those who are at lower grade, were exposed to earthquake and lost their close people in the earthquake.Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health SciencesVol. 3, No. 1, 2017, page: 45-55

scholarly journals Dementia, post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder: a review of the mental health risk factors for dementia in the military veteran population

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (9) ◽  
pp. 1400-1409 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Rafferty ◽  
P. E. Cawkill ◽  
S. A. M. Stevelink ◽  
K. Greenberg ◽  
N. Greenberg
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Military Veteran ◽  
The Military

AbstractBackgroundDementia is currently incurable, irreversible and a major cause of disability for the world's older population. The association between mental health difficulties, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), and dementia has a long history within the civilian population. Despite the increased importance of this link within the military veteran population, who suffer a greater propensity of mental health difficulties and consist largely of over 65s, attention is only recently being paid to the salience of such an association for this group. This paper aims to explore the relationship between PTSD and MDD with dementia within the military veteran population.MethodA systematic review was conducted on articles from 1990 to July 2016 on MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBSCO and Web of Science electronic databases with an update conducted in February 2017.ResultsSix empirical studies were identified from the review, the majority of which originated from the USA. Five of the studies asserted that veterans with a diagnosis of either PTSD or MDD are at a significantly greater risk of developing dementia than ‘healthy’ controls. The final study, conducted in Australia, found only a small, but non-significant, correlation between earlier MDD and future dementia, but no concurrent correlation.ConclusionsWhile causality cannot be determined, it is likely that PTSD and depressive disorders are related to an increased risk of dementia in military veterans. Potential pathological explanations and risk factors are reviewed and the clinical and neuroscience implications of these findings are explored.

Acknowledging Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Treatment Utilisation Amongst Israeli Bedouin and Jewish Combat Veterans

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shai Shorer ◽  
Yael Caspi ◽  
Hadass Goldblatt ◽  
Faisal Azaiza
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Psychological Treatment ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Treatment Utilisation ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Many veterans coping with combat-post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) refrain from seeking psychological treatment. We explored the nature of illness recognition and treatment utilisation in two different cultural groups of Israeli veterans—Bedouin and Jewish. Using qualitative research methods, we interviewed twenty veterans dealing with PTSD (ten Bedouin and ten Jewish) and ten mental health professionals. Participants shared their experiences of symptoms, the ways they coped, and their perception of the costs and benefits of psychological treatment. Two main themes emerged: (i) ‘Veterans’ Perceptions of Their Mental Injury’. In stark contrast to their Jewish counterparts, Bedouin participants described extreme lack of understanding regarding the relationship between their exposure to combat trauma and their distress; (ii) ‘Veterans’ Perceptions of the Mental Health Services’. Bedouin veterans expressed fear of the stigma associated with PTSD and its detrimental social implications, for them and their families. Jewish veterans emphasised the beneficial and informative role of therapy. The findings underscore the impact of different cultural codes on help-seeking behaviours and on the ability to benefit from psychological treatment. It is recommended that mental health practitioners consider cultural backgrounds and individual differences when implementing trauma interventions, to fine-tune their suitability to veterans facing excessive barriers to care.

scholarly journals Assessing the psychological impact of COVID-19 on intensive care workers: A single-centre cross-sectional UK-based study

2021 ◽  
pp. 175114372098318
Author(s):  
Natasha Dykes ◽  
Oliver Johnson ◽  
Peter Bamford
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Severe Depression ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

Background COVID-19 has presented a unique set of psychological stressors for healthcare professionals. There is currently a dearth of literature establishing the impact amongst intensive care workers, who may be at the greatest risk. This study aimed to establish the prevalence of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder amongst a cohort of intensive care workers within the United Kingdom. Methods A questionnaire was designed to incorporate validated screening tools for depression (Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-9) anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale, GAD-7), and post-traumatic stress disorder (Impact of Event Scale–Revised, IES-R). All intensive care workers at the Countess of Chester Hospital (UK) were eligible. Data was collected between 17th June and 8th July 2020. Results The majority of the 131 respondents were nurses (52.7% [69/131]) or doctors (32.8% [43/141]). Almost one-third (29.8% [39/131]) reported a significant or extreme impact of COVID-19 on their mental health. In total, 16%(21/131) had symptoms of moderate depression, 11.5%(15/131) moderately severe depression and 6.1%(8/131) severe depression. Females had significantly higher mean PHQ-9 scores than males (8.8 and 5.7 respectively, p = 0.009). Furthermore, 18.3% (24/131) had moderate anxiety with 14.5% (19/131) having severe anxiety. Mean GAD-7 scores were higher amongst females than males (8.7 and 6.3 respectively, p = 0.028). Additionally, 28.2% (37/131) reported symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of PTSD (IES-R ≥ 33). Despite these findings, only 3.1% (4/131) of staff accessed trust mental health support. Conclusion The impact of COVID-19 on intensive care workers is significant and warrants specific focus and attention in order to preserve this key sector of the workforce.

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