Dr. Rosalie Steinberg speaks to Global News Online about PTSD and COVID-19
Dr. Rosalie Steinberg, psychiatrist at Sunnybrook, shared insight with Global News Online about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms that COVID-19 survivors may experience after their illness.
PTSD is a psychological reaction that occurs after experiencing a highly stressful event outside the range of normal human experience.
Dr. Steinberg works with recently recovered COVID-19 patients who have been discharged from intensive care and other acute care units at Sunnybrook and need rehabilitation treatment as they recover.
“They are having nightmares and flashbacks. They are hypervigilant. They are very anxious,” Dr. Steinberg explained in a recent interview with Global News Online.
Steinberg added that a key element in the treatment process is to help individuals identify that what they are experiencing is PTSD.
“The most important intervention is to provide psychoeducation and to tell them that what they’re experiencing is distressing, but it’s not surprising and we can explain it.”
A recommended first step for individuals seeking mental health support or treatment is to reach out to their family doctor for appropriate referrals to local mental health care professionals.
Read the full Global News Online article.
Mental health resources for coping during COVID-19 from Sunnybrook experts.
If you need help in an emergency please call 911 or visit your local emergency department.
If you’re feeling like you’re in crisis or need somebody to talk to, please know that help is also available through community resources:
- Find a local crisis resource at sunnybrook.ca/gethelp
- Crisis Services Canada
- Phone: 24-hour, toll-free 1-833-456-4566
- Text: 45645 (4:00 pm – midnight Eastern Time)
