coronavirus ptsd

[lemis123]

hi everyone i am new to this but i have been reading the coronavirus threads for quiet a while.
my father in law passed away from covid in april he was 49 and he has health conditions like diabetes and kidney problems ect.. it has been the worst experience in my life our whole family will never be the same and i wont even start talking about what an amazing man he was. Ever since his death and the whole covid experience i have not been the same person i have had crazy anxiety for very long and i am so scared about everyones health including mine. As soon as my kids cough or sneeze or even have a runny nose i panic to the point where i cannot concentrate i cannot sleep i loose my appetite and i cant stop thinking about worst case scenarios. i do not want to be on antidepressants thats why i have not seeked medical help. i constantly read the news for stories that will make me feel better and its become like a cycle now. anyone with similar experiences or am i going mad?

[unchienandalusia]

didn't want to read and run. Dealing with sick kids. Am so sorry for your loss. Please hold on to the fact that (presumably sorry) the rest of your family are low risk. Not much I know but might keep the anxiety away, if not the grief.

[Costofliving]

Sorry to hear that. My dad died this year too.

Your children will be safe. Most children don’t even have any symptoms.

If your anxiety doesn’t get better you may have to think about antidepressants like Sertraline which works well for health anxiety. You’ve been through a lot. Sometimes we just need to reset the chemicals in our brain and there’s not a lot you can do about it. There’s no shame in it. You don’t have to rush into that but there comes a point where you have to balance the advantages and disadvantages and think about quality of life

[SheepandCow]

I'm so sorry. 49 is very young. You've suffered an unexpected loss, which will be a terrible shock.

Definitely speak to your GP. Ask if they can refer you for bereavement counselling, or if you can afford it look at private options. Lots are doing it online or phone, which makes it easier if you're nervous about risks and/or have any childcare issues.

We're not out of the woods yet, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Vaccines will be given over the coming months. The end is in sight.

Remember children are at very low risk, and also it's likely your family has already been exposed. Children get sniffles a lot. Take sensible precautions, eat healthy (with treats too) but try not to over panic. Try arranging a family walk at the weekend. A healthy boost for the immune system and precious family time together doing something nice.

I'm sorry for your loss

[UnmentionedElephantDildo]

PTSD is a specific diagnosis, not a catch all. And it's normally characterised by intense flashbacks.

What you describe really does not sound like that, and I agree that seeing your GP and/or a grief counsellor would be a good step. There really isn't any need to assume any particular diagnosis. In a lay sense, you sound bereft and anxious and I think it would be worth finding out current availability of talking therapies.

And go gently

[lemis123]

thank you all for the nice comments. I really hope the end is in sight with the vaccines proving to be safe and effective as this life that we are living now is not a normal life.

[userxx]

Please try to stop reading too much about covid, it won't help with your anxieties.

[FAQs]

I doubt it’s PTSD.

Sorry to hear you lost your dad, he was also very young, we lost two relatives also, you’re grieving and understandably likely have anxiety around it.

I find when people joke or say Coronaviris is a conspiracy gets me angry very quickly, you can’t escape the mention of it everyday so that won’t be helping.

Be kind to yourself and if you feel you can, maybe consider some counselling. It wasn’t long ago, looks after yourself.

[FAQs]

Sorry father in law

[micc]

Oh OP I'm sorry your going through a hard time.
I too have anxiety, and my daughter was diagnosed with asthma this year... not the year to be coughing I can tell you that for free!!
I had therapy this year, as I was pregnant and found my anxiety was horrible when I was pregnant with my first. I learnt some amazing tips that help me so much with my anxiety. Please try and contact your local mental heath service, my therapist advised me not to take the beta blockers I had been prescribed in the past as she wanted me to learn how to deal with it myself instead of relying on the medication. I now understand my anxiety so much more. Something I would recommend is not reading the news, I know there are happy stories but it's mostly not. It's hard for that to not bog you down, I used to obsessively check the weather as certain weathers make me anxious and it made me so much worse.
I found in my personal experience GPs are quick too offer medication, I contacted ITalk which is my local metal heath service directly, but you can speak to your GP and tell them you dont want medication you would like to be referred. I cant tell you how much it helped me.
Stay strong OP xx

[duffeldaisy]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

In a pandemic, I don't think that feeling a certain amount of anxiety is an unnatural thing at all. Not a medical professional, but I struggle at times with health anxiety, and that was also initially triggered by a life/death situation that led to a real worry around mortality. So while you could do with help for the reaction to anxious feelings, there is an element of reality in what you're feeling, so reassure yourself you're not acting irrationally, just having too big a reaction to things, which is impacting on your life - and that part is manageable.

Do try to get some help - grief counselling could help - you don't have to go through your GP and should be able to refer yourself for that kind of basic help. But otherwise, the GP could recommend anxiety medication which isn't necessarily antidepressants.
I hope you get help soon.

[Whathefisgoingon]

I’m so sorry.

I would suggest CBT and perhaps bereavement counselling. You can self refer for the CBT on the NHS and then from there they can advise on bereavement counselling.

[lannistunut]

I think what you describe is very understandable and it is common for people to worry about e.g. cancer after a bereavement in the family.

April is only four months ago so you are not that far past it. See what help you can get from your GP - you can say you want to try other things before ADs - and maybe try to access some counselling.

Hopefully it will improve with time. I am sorry for your loss.