Nurses talk about the mental burden of COVID-19

Since Coronavirus Chris Perry, who has been an intensive care nurse for eight years after a pandemic attacked the United States in March, experienced “worse things” this year more than her entire career.

Looking back those early weeks, she said today, “it’s like someone flipping a switch, and we’ve embarked on this kind of alternative reality.” New workflow for her Perry Arizona The hospital has extensive infection control protocols to comfort end-of-life patients without a family and, to name a few, fight a near constant short staffing.

She is one of hundreds of thousands A nurse who treats coronavirus cases daily — As a result, your mental health has deteriorated.

Ah Recent Survey from the American Nursing Association, A leading professional organization for nurses, found more than half of nurses felt overwhelmed in a pandemic and found that 29% were depressed. Of the 10,000 nurses included in the study, nearly three-quarters reported sleep disorders.

There were also dozens of reports Medical personnel who died of suicide Probably due to the stress of fighting at the frontline of the alleged outbreak since March The lives of over 100,000 Americans..

This phenomenon shed light on what Perry and her colleagues already knew: nurses die more often in suicide than in the more general population. Estimates of recent studies Female nurses are 58% more likely and male nurses are 41% more likely to die.

“I have a very strong and happy life, and I know that to make every day feel like a struggle, I am directly involved in everything that is happening in the world. “Perry said.

At work, she is treating more severely ill patients than ever.

“I use the analogy of seeing someone drowning and doing everything you can to help them, and they still drown in front of you,” Perry explained. “And you communicate about it with your family and imagine if it happens to you 4-5 times a day you go to work every day. That’s what nurses and doctors are currently facing That’s it.”

At home, it is “fearing” that she infects her husband’s five-year-old son and mother, living with her, Almost 70.. As the only healthcare worker in her family, Perry plans their activities and errands, and it now has the added “burden” of keeping everyone safe, she says. Said.

“I always have nightmares. That’s normal now,” she added.

Another registered nurse, Candace Cordero in Bradenton, Florida, is currently the number one fear of many healthcare workers. In late June, about 10 days after isolating and treating two patients who had been exposed to COVID-19, their son had a Cordero asthma, Test positive.

She said she wasn’t offered to her today N95 maskAnd, when she said, her hospital threatened her with disciplinary action.

“It’s really insulting that you feel unprotected and then threatened,” she recalls. “I felt betrayed.”

Cordero added that the main causes of stress were lack of transparency about her hospital’s personal protective equipment, policy changes, and staff exposure to coronaviruses.

“Most nurses would never have expected to work during a pandemic,” she said. “It’s a lot of stress that I didn’t think I had to experience.”

According to Cordero, her hospital has at least 33 employees Coronavirus positive test, And since the beginning of this year, almost 100 nurses have left.

North Carolina nurse manager Josh Deal told us today that he does not believe his mental health has deteriorated as a result of a pandemic. However, many of them are worried about the home-based support system for emergency room staff who are voluntarily working overtime.

“As a supervisor, it’s very burdensome to see the stress that is going on in your department,” he said.

In his personal life, dealing with a new baby and managing type 1 diabetes, he struggles because of his work. His children can’t go to day care because his father is at risk of coronavirus and friends avoid seeing him for the same reason.

He understands why this is the case, but that doesn’t necessarily make it easier.

“People in the medical field don’t want to take care of themselves because they are always taking care of others,” he said. “We are at the stage where we have to take care of ourselves.”

For those who lack the energy to do just that, he “don’t know what the solution is,” he said.

When the pandemic was over, when asked how she would move forward, Perry said, “Whenever it is, I’ll have some serious healing.”