COVID-19 we were and what we did to be safe, I still became a COVID victim. And that’s what is frightening.” Managing Grief and Mental Health Another stressor is how dramatically the pandemic has altered the grieving process. “We’re not able to do the things we normally do. In my role as funeral director, we’re used to having families gather together to celebrate the person’s life. We’ve had to tell people they can’t have a funeral. We’re trying to give comfort and care to a family that is being torn apart from all their cultural and traditional values of caring for the dead, and that’s impactful.” The sheer number of deaths in some areas of the country has overwhelmed funeral homes and related services, causing workers exhaustion and distress. This level of intense stress has both short- and long-term impacts on mental health. “We know from experience of other disasters that dealing with increased anxiety, separation from families, and all the unknowns, it creates an increase in domestic abuse, substance abuse, and divorce rates,” Teahen says. “A lot of times people don’t know how to Your Real Source. Anywhere. Anytime. cope that stress.” The mental health impact of a disaster doesn’t go away within weeks or months. “When we look at the psychological impact of disasters on responders, we typically see that the height of the impact is usually seven years after the event,” Teahen says. “I think that catches people off guard. 10 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021 Debra Venzke is a communications specialist with the University of Iowa College of Public Health. She writes about the wide range of public health research, education, and service conducted by the college. with When you ask, “When is the peak of suicide following a catastrophic event?,” a lot of people say six weeks, six months, maybe the one-year anniversary, where the number is truly closer to seven years.” Part of the reason for that lag is because at the beginning of a crisis, emotional support for responders is readily offered by friends, families, and organizations. But as time goes on, those supports and programs fade, leaving people to cope on their own. They may turn to alcohol or drugs to deal with the emotional impact of what they’ve experienced, Teahen says. “And it becomes a vicious cycle. As that goes on over time—as people get more isolated and services are reduced—they become more and more desperate,” he says. Offering Support A number of barriers prevent last responders from reaching out for help, including the stigma around mental health. An even bigger barrier may be the very nature of their jobs. “Nobody wants to talk to a funeral director, nobody wants to talk about death and dying or the work of a coroner or medical examiner,” Teahen says. “It’s such a taboo subject, death and dying and the dead.” Teahen hopes that the survey and stories shared through the interviews will give these workers a voice, recognition, and support. “I hope that we can find some common threads through these different professional groups, find out what their stressors were and what got them through their darkest days,” he says. He envisions creating support programs “that last more than just six months and that are there when they need them in seven or ten years.” This story originally appeared in the Fall 2020 issue of the University of Iowa’s InSight magazine. Republished with permission of the author. Find exactly what you’re looking for!
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