The Nurses Are Most Definitely Not Alright
Published by WOMEN'S HEALTH on 8/7/25 (Source)
When it comes to the type of intense attacks that Kelsey, the Seattle nurse, endured, “the primary consequence is going to be PTSD,” Havaei says.
The psychological impact can be so severe that nurses actually have a term to describe the distress: moral injury.
For her part, Kelsey started going to therapy and taking antidepressants. Still, she has nightmares almost every night. One time, she and 30 other nurses joked about their therapy sessions. “I was like, ‘Hey, raise your hand if there are things that you don’t tell your therapist because you’re afraid of traumatizing your therapist,’ ” Kelsey recalls. Every single person raised their hand.