COVID-19 as a Traumatic Event: Mental Health Lessons from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Authors

Briana Tillman, The Medical Center of Aurora - NorthFollow
Christopher Rogers, The Medical Center of Aurora - NorthFollow

Keywords

SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; coronavirus infections; coronavirus infections/prevention & control; pandemics; psychological stress/epidemiology; psychological trauma; anxiety disorders; mood disorders; psychological adaptation; quarantine/psychology; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Disciplines

Other Psychiatry and Psychology

Abstract

As a psychiatry resident working on an internal medicine rotation during the COVID-19 crisis in April, 2020, I witnessed signs of the burgeoning mental health crisis first-hand—among patients, friends, and healthcare workers. It quickly became evident that this experience was akin to a mass trauma, and in this paper we explore this concept and propose using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to address the secondary mental health pandemic of anxiety and stress disorders that is developing in real time.

Recommended Citation

Tillman, Briana and Rogers, Christopher (2020) "COVID-19 as a Traumatic Event: Mental Health Lessons from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy," HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine: Vol. 1: Iss. 0, Article 5.
DOI: 10.36518/2689-0216.1145
Available at: https://scholarlycommons.hcahealthcare.com/hcahealthcarejournal/vol1/iss0/5