There’s a show on Netflix in its fifth season called “Peaky Blinders.” It follows the lives of a Birmingham crime family in the years following the First World War.
In the current season, the main character, Thomas Shelby, the family’s leader, is battling enemies from all directions. Finally, after a long series of troubles, he and his family come out on top. They’ve won the battle, at least until the next one comes round.
At this point, Thomas goes back to his home, locks himself in his study and crashes. He spends the next few days in a drunken stupor. He doesn’t want any contact with the outside world. He is exhausted and wants to be left alone. He needs time away from running the crime family, with everyone coming to him with their needs and expectations.
Finally, after several days, Aunt Polly Gray, the matriarch of the family, comes to visit Thomas. A wise woman, she tells, Thomas (paraphrasing), “This thing you’re going through now, it doesn’t start until you stop.”
In other words, if you are in the middle of a crisis, and there is no alternative but to bear down until it is over, then when the crisis finally does stop, that’s when your mind and body will allow you to process what you’ve been through. The psychological effects of what you have been through doesn’t start until the crisis stops.
All over the world, first responders, hospital staff and a host of other people are working very hard to combat COVID. Many are exhausted but continue to plow on through. They have to — there is no alternative — there is no one else to do the job.
Today, there is room for optimism. The COVID vaccine gives us a light at the end of the tunnel. This is encouraging. Perhaps, by the fall of next year, things may slowly get back to normal.
So, then what? There are specialists’ appointments, medical tests, etc. that have been on hold. People are looking forward to a backlog of surgeries resuming, meeting demands that have been shelved for many months.
So, if you’re nurse in Ontario, or a doctor in British Columbia, or a public health official in Newfoundland and Labrador, how will you feel when COVID is finally under control, knowing that going “back to normal” means clearing a massive backlog of work? When exactly will these people get the opportunity to “recharge their batteries?” Who will give these people permission to take the time to sleep, reconnect with family and sleep some more? Health personnel will need a break from the phrase, “I need you to…”. Many of these people will need time to recover.
While some jurisdictions undoubtedly handled the pandemic better than others did (and some like Newfoundland and Labrador handled it exceptionally well), we can’t accurately predict a medical professionals’ psychological needs, based merely on where they reside. There is one thing we do know for sure: people who are physically and mentally exhausted need time to recover.
It is time for all of us, including those of us in the mental health community, to begin a dialogue to address the needs of these people, to prepare for when the pandemic is finally over.
Let’s be proactive and not wait until the aftermath starts to kick in.
Brian Kenny, mental health clinician,
Aspens and Oaks
St. John’s