Frontline health workers were left feeling suicidal by the stress of the pandemic, a new study has revealed.
Researchers have found that Dublin hospital staff reported “high levels of post-traumatic stress, low mood, depression, suicidal thinking, moral injury and psychological distress”. Around 377 healthcare staff across the capital answered a series of mental health questions during the third wave of the killer virus in early 2021 and it revealed nearly half of them suffered PTSD.
The study states: “As much as 45% of respondents reported moderate or severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. “Some 52% reported low mood; 13% reported thinking of ending their life over the previous week; and 5% reported planning to end their life.” Doctors, nurses and radiographers from.
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St James’s Hospital, Tallaght University Hospital, and Beaumont Hospital were interviewed by researchers from Trinity College Dublin, and St Patrick’s Mental Health Services. Chief researcher Declan McLoughlin, professor of psychiatry at Trinity, said: “This is the first study to examine the psychological impact on hospital staff in Dublin.
“We hope that the study’s findings will highlight potential areas of concern for hospital management and staff so that they can address this and seek support as required.” The study’s author, Trinity’s Dr Conan Brady, added: “The results have shown the significant mental health impacts of the pandemic.
“In addition to the restrictions we’ve all faced, other reasons could be job stress or concerns about stigma from working in environments with high levels of Covid. “There are few data on suicidal ideation in hospital staff internationally, and this warrants more investigation.”
The Trinity study was developed to investigate the mental health impact of the pandemic and to help inform appropriate responses. It is thought that the high levels of post-traumatic symptoms found in this study are higher than the current best international estimate for healthcare workers.
- The full study can be read on the doi.org website.
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