COVID has changed our world very rapidly. There are good changes, such as cleaner air and the ability to use telehealth widely. But there are devastating changes. As we are all aware, we have lost more than 400,000 people in America, and that number is climbing.
Dr. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie
How can we mitigate some of the psychological effects of the pandemic? It is time to bring lessons learned on the battlefield to civilian psychiatrists and health care systems.
Despite having participated in mass casualty drills, no health system was trained or psychologically prepared for this once-in-a-century event.
The military dictum, “train like you fight; fight like you train” falls short considering the speed of viral replication, the serious flaws and disparities in our health care system revealed by COVID-19, and the public’s disturbingly variable adherence to preventive measures.
Like combat troops, health care workers put the needs of others ahead of their own. They suck up strain and step back from their own needs in favor of the mission.
Dr. Harold Kudler
Whether in combat or pandemic, leaders have valuable opportunities to promote the effectiveness of those on the front lines by caring for them. Those in charge may, themselves, be profoundly affected. While other team members focus on defined roles, leaders are forced to deal with many unknowns. They must often act without adequate information or resources.
Some of us have worked at hospitals treating many COVID patients and have been on “the front lines” for almost a year. We are asked a lot of questions, to which we often answer, "I don't know" or "there are no good choices."
All leaders work hard to model strength, but a difficult lesson that the military has had to learn is that leaders may strengthen cohesion by showing their grief, modeling self-care, drawing attention to even small successes in the face of overwhelming loss, and, when necessary, finding words for those losses.
Peer support is particularly important in high-stress situations. Mental health providers are uniquely qualified to share information, pick up on signs of severe stress, and provide support at the point of need.
Dr. Rachel Yehuda
Its key elements are:
- Confidence in leadership at all levels – requiring visibility (“battlespace circulation”) of leaders who listen and share timely, accurate information.
- Realistic training – especially for those who, because of staff shortages, assume unfamiliar duties.
- Self-care – including regular meals, adequate sleep, and ongoing contact with family and friends. Here of course, the contact should be virtual as much as possible.
- Belief in the Mission – compassion satisfaction is a buffer against burnout.
- Esprit de corps – cohesive teams suffer significantly fewer combat stress casualties.
It is true that these principles have more often been tested in short-term crisis rather than the long slog that is COVID-19. This pandemic is more like an ongoing civil war than a distant battlefield because your home and those close to you share the risk.
Dr. Robert Koffman
There is no easy path ahead for America’s civilian health care system. These military principles, tested under fire, offer valuable opportunities in the ongoing battle against COVID-19.
Dr. Ritchie practices psychiatry in Washington. She has no disclosures.
Dr. Kudler is associate consulting professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University in Durham. N.C., and recently retired from his post as chief consultant for mental health, at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He has no relevant financial relationships.
Dr. Yehuda is professor of psychiatry and neuroscience and director of the traumatic stress studies division at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York. She also serves as director of mental health at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, also in New York. Dr. Yehuda has no disclosures.
Dr. Koffman is the senior consultant for Integrative Medicine & Behavioral Health at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Bethesda, Md. He has no disclosures.