TRAUMA CAUSED BY THE MODERN PANDEMIA

Abstract

The appearance of the coronavirus (Corona 19) in 2019 has literally caused putting our routines on hold
or even stopping our lives. The first images and videos which went viral were as they were scenes from some sci-fi
film. Firstly, it took a certain amount of time until people of different nations grasped the information, accept it and
started behaving according to officials’ advices. Then, some nations behavior was responsible and disciplinary
opposite to others whose behavior led to serious consequences. Later, the trauma appeared. The Greeks used the
word trauma for "wound". The first known use of trauma was circa 1693 and in the past, it was only associated
with an injury, as a wound, to living tissue caused by an extrinsic agent. In the past, people used this term for
particular physical injuries, but nowadays it is also used when one refers to emotional wounds. The
term psychiatry was first coined by the German physician Johann Christian Reil in 1808 and literally means the
'medical treatment of the soul'. As a result of the introducing of psychiatry and prioritizing the mental health
today we are aware that a certain traumatic event can leave psychological symptoms after a considerable
time, although the physical injuries have healed. By developing of medicine people in the 20th century
became more and more informed that a person’s mental health is very important. Unfortunately , human
beings are first and foremost emotional creatures. The first known use of emotion was in 1579 and, as a term,
was used much earlier than trauma and it has a substantial influence on the cognitive processes in humans, including
perception, memory and reasoning, attention and learning, and even problem solving. Therefore, emotions help us
to communicate with others, build better relationships etc. As humans, we are exposed to all kinds of stress on a
daily basis. It can be defined as any type of change that causes emotional, physical or psychological strain. Some
of us react, but some of us don't; some are tense, some are more relaxed, and yet each of us deals with stress
differently. Since it has been proven that many diseases are stress-related people started to work on reducing
stress so as to preserve and improve their mental health. It is not preferable to ignore and minimize the
importance, presence and reactions of stress since an extreme stress can lead to trauma. The psychological
reaction to emotional trauma now has a recognized name: post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Hence is
it from extreme stress, a loss of a partner, a death of family member, natural disaster, wartime combat, or sexual or
physical abuse, its symptoms include anxiety, flashbacks, depression, and recurring nightmares. The PTSD
can also occur after an extremely long and stressful event, such as pandemic, and it reflects on all
population – from teenagers to elderly. The fact that it is a collective matter is extremely worrying. And can
you imagine, only three years ago we only believed that one’s mental health is a state of well-being and
major factor for quality life.