Returning to school in person after months of a shutdown is overwhelming for many. You may have lost your loved ones during a pandemic to the dreadful virus. WILLIAM D KING says There is no substitute for the loss of family and friends, but you must take specific steps to cope with the situation. It is natural to feel depressed and anxious about the future. What is next? What could happen if we resume work? Also, What are the challenges my child would face on returning to school? These are some of the common questions that increase the stress level.
Mental illness increased after the lockdown. Surprisingly more people feel insecure and unsafe to step out of their houses. But life must come back to normalcy, and it is essential to understand that this is only possible with collaborative efforts. Whether it is older adults, children, or the younger generation, everybody is facing psychological distress.
Some of the covid survivors have reported significant traumatic experiences during the illness. The mental agony cascades after the disease also. The study reveals abnormal patterns of brain activities in covid survivors, which is a combination of traumatic stress and mental imbalance.
William D King busts the myth of covid as ‘only’ pulmonary disease.
Covid is not just a respiratory disease that majorly affects the lungs, but it also damages the brain cells. Numerous reports prove covid-19 survivors exhibit neurological complications like confusion, delirium, and cognitive impairments. The vaccine is a breakthrough in combating this dreadful virus but, brain damage is still a subject of study for all scientists.
The interaction of the virus with the central nervous system is still a mystery. But after the symptoms reported by more than 75% of covid patients, it became one of the major causes of psychological effects and depression. The previous mutation of the virus shows the link between covid survivors to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A study revealed that 33% of covid patients who became survivors suffered from acute respiratory syndrome and post-illness.
William D King also mentions ‘long covid’, where even after recovering from illness, the survivor shows specific mental and physical symptoms of unwellness. Long Covid leaves a significant psychological impact on patients. The suffering may start immediately after turning covid negative or may begin later but lasts for months. The worst information is you may have to learn to survive with the long covid symptoms for the rest of your life.
Some of the common physical and psychological symptoms in covid survivors are:
- Sleep disorder
- Breathlessness
- Chest tightness
- Loss of appetite
- Confusion
- Loss of cognitive ability
- Memory loss
- Poor decision-making ability
- Unexplained aches and pains
- Sickness and nausea
- Temperature or flu-like symptoms
- Depression and anxiety
- Tinnitus or ear pain
- Heart palpation
- Extreme tiredness
Look for the symptoms and seek help immediately. Sometimes the symptoms are confusing, but if you are a covid survivor and recovered, you must not have specific symptoms. However, if it is otherwise, do not wait for more suffering to disturb your mental health – call your health care professional before it’s too late.