OSHKOSH, Wis. – May is nationally recognized as Mental Health Month. The goal is provide outreach, education, resources and help communities engage in conversations about mental health. May is also a time to raise awareness of those living with mental or behavioral health issues and to help reduce the stigma so many experience. Throughout the month, ThedaCare will be featuring a series of articles related to mental health topics. The first topic will focus on Collective Trauma due to the pandemic.
“We have lived through unusual challenges unlike anything we’ve experienced in this country or the world for decades,” explained Tina Griffith, a licensed professional counselor at ThedaCare Behavioral Health-Oshkosh. “And there’s a name for what we are experiencing. It’s called collective trauma, which is defined as trauma that goes beyond the individual level to include: groups of people, communities, societies and countries.”
The American Psychological Association (APA) conducted a Stress in America survey in February 2021. The survey results showed that “many adults are reporting undesired changes to their weight, increased drinking and other negative behavior changes that may be related to an inability to cope with prolonged stress.”
Specifically, the APA survey respondents provided the following statistics:
- 67% reported sleep pattern changes, sleeping more or less than normal or having sleep disturbance issues.
- 61% reported undesired weight changes; 42% gained weight, with 15 pounds being the median weight gain. Another 18% lost more weight than they wanted to, with 12 pounds being the median weight loss.
- 53% said they were less physically active than they wanted to be.
- 47% delayed or cancelled health care services.
- 25% of essential workers were diagnosed with mental health disorders.
- 23% reported drinking more alcohol to cope with their stress.
Griffith explained that with more people experiencing prolonged stress it can contribute to grief, trauma and isolation. Study authors say that could lead to a secondary health crisis, “that is likely to have persistent, serious mental and physical health consequences for years to come.”
“Collective trauma shows up as increased depression and sadness, hopelessness, irritability, mood swings and not feeling secure,” she said. “Changes in sleep patterns are a big sign of feeling traumatized. Having increased anxiety and avoidant behaviors, difficulty with overcoming worry, continual thoughts of trauma, not to mention loss of concentration and memory issues are other effects we may be experiencing.”
It’s important to recognize that every individual is impacted differently.
“With each person, the effects will vary from mild to more severe,” said Griffith. “Maybe you just feel blasé, or you are avoiding things you normally did without pause, or work feels a lot harder than it normally does. Those all could be manifestations of collective trauma.”
In various group settings Griffith said trauma would be recognizable in peoples’ body language.
“The cues we might previously have read on someone’s face aren’t obvious now because of masking and other personal protection equipment,” she said. “Instead, you might notice people sitting slumped over, not making eye contact or not interacting as they normally would. Some people may become teary-eyed more easily or be extra fidgety.”
Griffith went on to explain the suddenness of the pandemic might have been a contributing factor to what we’re now feeling.
“I think our trauma was magnified because we were all so surprised by the pandemic,” she said. “Unless you were an epidemiologist studying viruses, you likely didn’t see this pandemic coming. Add to that the early uncertainty of not knowing what we should or shouldn’t be doing as health experts learned more about the virus, it left many of us essentially in shock for several months.”
Coping techniques that are frequently used during stressful times also needed to be altered.
“At the time, health experts recommended physically distancing yourself from others – often that meant not seeing family or friends, no vacations, not going to the gym to work out, or taking trips to a museum or the movies,” she explained. “We needed to find new ways to cope, and that is not easy for everyone.”
Overcoming Collective Trauma
How do we as individuals and as a society/country recover from this trauma?
Griffith offered this advice.
“I think it starts at the individual level,” she said. “We all should begin to heal ourselves, and that will require some work. We have to regain some sense of control in our lives over the things we can directly affect and which directly affect us. Building connection with others and supporting others will be very important, even though that connection may look different than it did before the COVID pandemic.”
She also recommended simplifying, noting that the pandemic has helped people let go of things they may not need.
“Building meaning into your life is very important,” she said. “A lot of people were faced with their own mortality and/or lost loved ones during the pandemic. As we recover, consider what you value most. Seek out healthy ways to be involved with what’s most important to you, and connect with what brings you joy and relief from stress. Take the time to look at something with the awe and wonder of a child. Look at the beauty of nature or people and admire the wonder in them. Practice mindfulness. That is, be present in the moment that you’re in right now. Don’t look ahead or back; just be with and enjoy what’s around you.”
Griffith offered this practical recovery advice.
“Make plans and set reasonable goals for things you want to accomplish so you can see there’s a future beyond what you are feeling right now,” she said. “Giving back and helping others often boosts our morale and sense of community as well.”
Griffith added that it’s also important to talk about how you are feeling.
“This is important as we recognize mental Health Awareness Month,” she said. “Most people have someone in their lives they can reach out to when they need help. You should also have open conversations with your primary care provider if you are struggling. They can offer suggestions for resources and programs. Remember, you are not alone.”
And overcoming this will take time, and that is okay.
“Our collective trauma is not going away overnight,” she said. “We will all progress through it at our own rate, and it’s going to take some work, support and connection to do that. Ask for what you need and respond to others when they ask for help. We’ve all been through this together, now we have to work together to recover.”
About ThedaCare
For more than 110 years, ThedaCare® has been committed to improving the health of the communities it serves in northeast and central Wisconsin. The organization delivers care to more than 600,000 residents in 18 counties and employs approximately 7,000 health care professionals. ThedaCare has 180 points of care, including seven hospitals. As an organization committed to being a leader in Population Health, team members are dedicated to empowering people to live their best lives through easy access to individualized care, supporting each person’s own health and wellbeing. ThedaCare also partners with communities to understand unique needs, finding solutions together, and encouraging health awareness and action. ThedaCare is the first in Wisconsin to be a Mayo Clinic Care
Network Member, giving specialists the ability to consult with Mayo Clinic experts on a patient’s care. ThedaCare is a not-for-profit health system with a level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs, as well as primary care.
For more information, visit thedacare.org or follow ThedaCare on social media. Members of the media should call Cassandra Wallace, Public and Media Relations Consultant at 920.442.0328 or the ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah switchboard at 920.729.3100 and ask for the marketing person on call.
