COVID–19 járvány hatása a pszichiátriai megbetegedések gyakoriságára – PTSD
Authors: Bellavics Mária Zsóka , Hermann Zsombor , Haller József 
Published: October 2021

Összefoglaló. A poszttraumás stressz zavar (PTSD) egy súlyos
mentális állapot, amely nehezen gyógyítható, és évtizedeken keresztül
fennállhat. Gyakorisága 1–3%-ról világszerte 20% körülire emelkedett a COVID–19
járvány után. Az észlelt gyakoriság nem függött a vizsgált populációk
érintettségétől: a gyakoriság közel azonos volt fertőzöttek, karanténba
kerültek, pusztán életmódváltozást elszenvedők és egészségügyi szakemberek
körében. Ez vetekszik a háborús helyzetekben tapasztaltakkal, azzal a
különbséggel, hogy a modern háborúk a világ népességének kis részét, míg a
járvány az emberiség tekintélyes részét érintette. A COVID–19 járvány lecsengése
után tehát számolnunk kell azokkal a pszichiátriai jellegű károkkal is,
amelyeket maga mögött hagy, köztük a PTSD áldozataival.

Summary. Almost 20 years ago McNally (2003) wrote a paper on the
Vietnam War with the title “Psychiatric Casualties of War”, outlining that
people may suffer psychological injuries in war beyond those that harm them
physically. Like wars, epidemics also have “psychiatric casualties” e.g., people
who avoid the dangers of the epidemic per se but do not survive
the situation without harm. One possible form of impairment is psychiatric in
nature; this category includes among others post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD). This study addresses the question of how how much concern the COVID-19
epidemic raises in the long run for an increased incidence of PTSD. PTSD is a
severe and difficult-to-treat mental disorder caused by traumatic stress i.e.,
an event that threatens life and/or physical integrity. It is usually attributed
to disasters, war, and interpersonal violence, but it can also be caused by
serious illness such as AIDS and cancer. The COVID-19 epidemic conforms to the
concept of trauma in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,
as the disease it causes is potentially life threatening. Thus, even a purely
logical approach suggests that the epidemic may increase the incidence of PTSD,
an assumption that is confirmed by numerous targeted studies. The pre-epidemic
PTSD morbidity rate of 1-3% has risen to around 20% globally over the past year
due to the COVID-19 epidemic. PTSD affected not only those who fell victim to
the disease, but also those who have “merely” witnessed the development and
spread of the disease, those who have been placed in preventive quarantine, and
healthcare workers who have had the burden of treating the epidemic. Behind the
global 20%, an uneven picture emerges. In certain populations and at certain
times, the frequency was reported to be much lower (e.g., 8%) or much higher
(e.g., 96%), depending on the specifics of the study participants, as well as
the place and time of the investigation. Overall, however, the post-epidemic
prevalence of PTSD appears to rival that observed in war situations, such as the
Vietnam War. The difference is that modern wars mostly affect a small portion of
the world’s population, while the COVID-19 epidemic affects almost the entire
humanity. Recent events suggest that the epidemic will soon recede. However, the
epidemic leaves behind a large number of people who have sustained long-lasting
and severe mental injuries - including those who have developed PTSD. Tackling
this problem is the task for the future, but it must be prepared in advance. To
this end, the study also briefly maps the factors of inborn and acquired
resilience in a new network science approach.