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Quarantine with Covid 19 & PTSD

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Justmehere

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This thread is about the specific experience of being diagnosed positive or presumed positive (due to lack of tests) with covid 19 and under isolation/quarantine to protect public health from what one is carrying.

There was a study done on the effects of quarantine during the Sars outbreak...
Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression were observed in 28.9% and 31.2% of respondents, respectively. Longer durations of quarantine were associated with an increased prevalence of PTSD symptoms. Acquaintance with or direct exposure to someone with a diagnosis of SARS was also associated with PTSD and depressive symptoms.

From Ten years on - the mental and physical scars of Sars
According to a report done two years after Sars, some 40 per cent of recovered patients suffered from PTSD after the epidemic - much higher than the 20 to 30 per cent among victims who experience trauma from natural disasters or accidents. Mak said the profound impact may be due to the nature of the Sars pandemic, which included widespread panic, its unpredictability and the many months it went on for.

I've already seen a couple people in my circle offline go from stable to mentally breaking down, and we are in the early days of this outbreak in my area. Plus, for me, I've gone from a very public job out in the community, to social distancing, to lock down. That was one thing, Now I'm under quarantine and presumed positive with covid 19. I tell everyone I will be fine but really, I don't know. I'm having a rough go of it. I am wrestling with the reality of being handled as infectious. It is what should be done. I do not object. I have gone above and beyond to protect everyone around me and isolated prior to even showing symptoms. It is believed I got sick from asymptomatic transmission. I have been notified of close contact with to multiple confirmed positive cases. Each notice was very hard to get.

I actively have to do things to keep people away. It's one thing when both people are trying to isolate from each other. It's different when I have what could end the life of myself or someone else just by being near me. Yeah I have read all the things about the fatality rates. Still hard. A lot of people are scared and completely flipping out here about anyone positive or presumed positive. That alone is a thing to manage. The people blowing up my phone with not helpful texts and emails and etc. My cousin died today. If there will be a funeral soon, I can't go. (There probably won't be a funeral soon, but that's not good either and you get the idea.) All of life is being effected.

I'm trying to wrestle through a spike in fight or flight symptoms. I'm also very stuck. I don't have anywhere to talk about this locally. My therapist seems baffled why this would be hard. I am trapped here. Sick. Alone. Fighting to get healthy. Afraid people around me caught this. Nothing is safe anymore. I have a hard time with locked doors and staying home all the time generally prior to the pandemic. Now, I'm stuck here. For my safety and that of others I am stuck. I feel locked up with this damn virus.
 
I'm sorry for your loss, may your cousin rest in peace.

As to you - What upholds your sense of being a person that will return to healthy life, after this?

I know that is 3 composite things:
A person (not a virus carrier as a self identity. But a person *with* a virus.)
Returning to life /
There *being* that life / future, at all.

But those bits, upholding value & strength / hope in myself alive?

Found that so essential every time I was slowly dying and protecting others from being near me.
 
They just discovered a COVID-19 can live on your shoes for five days. Makes me wanna burn my shoes now!

In the middle of the helplessness I’ve learned to reframe being stuck at home for a really long quarantine to it being the way I’m helping the fight. I’m staying here to save lives.

I’m still pretty heartbroken and I think I just realized I’m heartbroken.
 
I am so sorry you are dealing with that. I don't understand why your therapist would be baffled as to why this would be so hard. Seems clueless on the part of your therapist. Of course its going to be hard. Isolation is hard. Being ill with something that can have such devastating consequences is hard. Lack of control is hard. What's not hard about what you are going through? Add in PTSD to the mix and what a mess.

I am glad you are talking about this here

Five days on shoes? That sort of freaks me out on various levels
 
@Justmehere cyber hugs to you. Shoes, and stores are sold out of Lysol and such. Just something yet more to make all this more difficult. And, yes, it is hard, but I am not even under quarantine, so I imagine it is a hundred times harder for you. God be with you.
 
I'm sorry you are feeling this way. It must be hard to be quarantined with this but know that you aren't totally alone. We are here and can see you.
 
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