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People are developing trauma-like symptoms as the pandemic wears on
But CEO of the American Psychological Association (APA) Arthur Evans says viewing the world as unsafe can be a symptom of trauma.
"I think for a lot of people, the idea of having a mental health challenge is there's something inside of me that's wrong," he said.
"And I think the idea of trauma helps people to understand that, no, this is something that is happening to me and how I'm responding is a natural response."
Generally speaking, trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event. Usually, an event that threatens your life, or the life of someone near you, and results in feelings of significant fear or helplessness.
It is a feeling that is not unique to Hoggan.
For Lanny Langstrom, the early months of the pandemic were filled with stress.
"I was desperately trying to stay away from, like, this thing that I thought was going to kill me at any second," he said.
He recalls worrying that if he died from COVID, his 6-year-old daughter might not remember him. He was so stressed that he eventually called a mental health hotline, and they suggested he seek therapy — something he'd never done before.
To his surprise, his therapist told him his symptoms were consistent with trauma.
"When I think of trauma, I more imagine one of these brave young men that go over to Afghanistan and they're driving a Humvee and it gets blown up," Langstrom said. "I'm not a soldier, but you know, at this point we've experienced [nearly 1 million] people dying." More
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