COVID PTSD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s prevalent. Just look at all the people still wearing masks.

You have other mental health issues if you are claiming a mask gave you PTSD. I still mask in public. I cannot risk getting your cold/flu/covid when you are too selfish to stay home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s prevalent. Just look at all the people still wearing masks.

Too bad it gives you the screamies. I think I might will get more brightly colored ones to stand out.

[Anonymous]

OP why are you believing what your aunt says? A mentally ill, attention seeker is highly likely to make up or deeply edit her stories to suit her desires. Unless she has fallen victim to a MAGA grifter pretending to be a therapist she doesn’t have PTSD from wearing a mask.

She most likely has anxiety and cognitive decline making her susceptible to alt right propaganda. COVID was isolating and the fear, uncertainty, chaos of the Trump presidency ( which looks docile compared to now) was triggering for some, especially those with underlying mental health or personality disorders. Throw in a steady stream of right wing propaganda designed just for people like her and she’s lost.

[Anonymous]

We know a 6th grade boy who continues to mask from Covid who may have Covid PTSD. It isn’t common, and I would not be surprised to learn of an underlying mental health condition. However, it’s not right to dismiss it just because other people handled it easily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We know a 6th grade boy who continues to mask from Covid who may have Covid PTSD. It isn’t common, and I would not be surprised to learn of an underlying mental health condition. However, it’s not right to dismiss it just because other people handled it easily.

This isn’t COVID PTSD, it’s anxiety if he doesn’t have a health issue. The mask is similar to the hoodie and common among middle schoolers. The pressure of a new school, puberty, and developing anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course she can. It was a scary and uncertain time. How one reacts to that is personal.

It sounds like you don't agree with what she is saying so you are dismissing her experience.

If she has PTSD from the risk of death from a pandemic, sure. But PTSD from having to wear a mask grocery shopping?

This. I was so scared during covid because my husband was an essential worker and I was high risk. My parents could not live alone (need caregivers) and so could not isolate and got covid. It was a horrible stressful year. I was so envious of my friends who could work from home, whose family members could work from home, and whose parents could self isolate. I could not tolerate their whining about having to stay home in their country house with a pool while my husband, kids, parents and I were dealing with the constant threat of sickness and death. THAT was stressful. Having to wear a mask in a grocery store for a year? Get the f over it.

[Anonymous]

Not from masks per se, but from the whole situation. I didn’t realize how it affected me until a few years later. I’ve lost friends who either moved away or become crazy about Covid rules. My son’s gymnastics and breakdance place closed permanently and the other places didn’t work for him and he quit both. He also had to miss some events because I didn’t want to give him that particular vaccine.

[Anonymous]

“Yes, Aunt Larla, I remember. That sounds miserable. Did you watch the Carolyn Bessette and JFK Jr. documentary?”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My aunt is constantly telling me how her therapist diagnosed her with PTSD because of COVID. She didn’t have COVID, but she was traumatized by having to wear a mask, social distance, etc.

Is that a thing? I want to appreciate that she has a point of view about public health mandates (even if I don’t agree with those views). But it feels like she uses this PTSD diagnosis to constantly garner attention and as an argument why public health and vaccines are bad.

I guess my question is whether you can actually get PTSD from something that feels so, I don’t know, just day to day life? I guess I always thought PTSD was related to more intense life events, but I don’t want to be an insensitive jerk.

There is also a diagnosis called Chronic PTSD and this is more like a COVID experience - in that it was ongoing and not one particular incident. Some people get this from prolonged stress from something. [/b]Some people are really bad a pivoting and making the best of a bad situation. Some people have high levels of anxiety. If someone has high levels of anxiety and has trouble pivoting - it can make problems.[b]

However, it does not mean she has to bring it up and have that be the main topic every time you visit. What is she doing to help her move beyond it? what does she feel has helped the most?

Then that’s a preexisting, underlying generalized anxiety disorder, not “COVID PTSD.”

Either lady is a liar (as who can check with her therapist to validate her claims?) or therapist is a quack.

[Anonymous]

Do people not get that it’s not from “wearing a mask”? It’s from the forced isolation, the breakdown of societal trust, the cancelled events and milestones, stress & fear of the illness itself, political divides, uncertainty and on and on? Most people’s worlds were turned upside down in a variety of ways. It’s not PTSD for most people, but more many people there was/is trauma, grief, stress, and sadness.

I think most of us are still affected in little ways that pop up periodically (& we don’t want to relive or think about that time period too much). I know that’s true for me, even though I function completely normally.

[Anonymous]

It's still that for us. 2019 was our last happy year.

[Anonymous]

I did get ptsd from covid but it was more about my kids (aged 1 and 3) being home, work being hellish, new boss being awful and the kids just screaming all the time. I’m sure some of it was that I was a bit scared of Covid too. My kids were so little and we were used to going on adventures to playgrounds but they were all shut down. By PTSD I mean I had nightmares that kept waking me up. Took a couple of years to process it all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's still that for us. 2019 was our last happy year.

Is this a joke?

[Anonymous]

I think covid was very triggering for people with pre-existing mental health issues or the tendency toward mental health issues. Particularly anxiety and depression. And yes, I think the events of covid have sent some people down a spiral they are still struggling to find their way out of. I have empathy for these people.

I also would not call it PTSD but that doesn't mean it's not real.

[Anonymous]

Why do you feel the need to analyze this? This is between her and her therapist. And yes, some people have PTSD from Covid related stuff. It may be predicated by some other anxiety or other issue, but this a real (but rare) thing.

For example, I know someone who was sexually assaulted and part of the assault was having her mouth and nose covered. Wearing a mask for Covid created what a second round of PTSD where the underlying PTSD came from the assault. But she had done a ton of work and was sort of “past” the initial PTSD until mask wearing brought it back. You would be a total jackass if you pressed this woman on why wearing a mask was so difficult for her.

But really, just say “I’m sorry this was hard for you.” And change the freaking subject since you struggle with being empathetic on this.