Will COVID-19 trigger my PTSD?

by | Coronavirus - COVID-19, Coronavirus - Symptoms, Mental Health

Video transcript

Dr Matthew Cullen, Psychiatrist, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney

Will COVID-19 worsen PTSD? An interesting question. And I think, honestly, it will vary from person to person.

There are some people where PTSD is likely to be triggered by being outside, and they will be concerned in certain external situations that their PTSD symptoms could worsen. So I suspect in that scenario that their PTSD will not worsen.

On the other hand, there are people who find getting out and about and doing things is actually quite helpful, from their PTSD perspective. So, in that instance, being socially isolated and staying at home the whole time, there’s a high likelihood that their PTSD could get worse.