Psychotherapeutic Options for Post-Pandemic Stress Syndrome

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the traumatic events associated with it have triggered many negative emotional reactions, including anxiety, fear, stress and even depressive disorders in many people, especially among health care workers who risked their health and lives fighting on the front lines of the fight against the pandemic. Many of them, after a period of extreme stress and uncertainty associated with the condition, developed the so-called post-pandemic stress syndrome, affecting many aspects of mental health and often making it difficult to function normally in daily life. Adequate psychological support for medics in the post-pandemic period is crucial, as it affects the functioning of the health care system worldwide. Currently, there are a variety of therapies for post-pandemic stress syndrome. These include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, group therapy, Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), or Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). The choice of the appropriate one depends on the therapist, who selects the method for each patient's individual needs.