By Gabriel Princewill-
A South London woman with post traumatic stress says the lockdown imposed in the Uk is driving her crazy and worsening her condition.
Simone John who suffered post traumatic stress after witnessing her son in a pool of blood after being stabbed in 2018 said she has suffered recurring nightmares since the incident. She says her mental state was made worse by the fact she was constantly ignored by members of Croydon Council, despite contacting them several times by mail and phone last tear and in 2018.
Ms Jones at 45, looks a lot younger than her age, but is a mum of three. Her 23 year old daughter, Natoya is a hairdresser, also frustrated with the lockdown which means she has to endure all the noise in the house. finds the experience of seeing her mum in constant distress unnerving. Joining in the a telephone conversation with her mum, she says:
”I feel like I just have to stare at the wall or watch television, or listen to my mum go mad with my siblings all the time. My brother is so hyperactive and my mum has too many of her own issues going on. I’m using to going out and don’t know anyone local because Simone who works part time in Harrods due to her condition which prevents her from a full time slot, contacted The Eye Of Media in 2019, asking for assistance in putting pressure on the council to attend to her complaints.
She was eventually moved out of the area to a location we cannot reveal, but is now on mirtazapine oridis-an antidepressant designed to help relieve her mental pains and help her sleep.
INEVITABLE
Ms Jones understands the inevitability of the social distancing measures imposed on the country due to the coronavirus, but says staying at home is making her lose her mind because she has to deal with two of her autistic children, Na-Sharn, 17, and Naomi Lea,5, both of whom suffer with autism. Na-Sharn also suffers from ADHD and is hyperactive. She further gets paranoid of the possibility of catching the virus from the corner shops and innocently passing it on to her kids told The Eye Of Media.Com :
”Staying home is driving me crazy with my post traumatic stress. I have to deal with my autistic son all day who drives me up the wall because he is so hyperactive. He asked too many questions about thinks I don’t want to talk about including what’s going on with him getting stabbed. He is aware he was failed by the system and that I am trying to get him justice, and keeps asking why .
I also have a five year old who is autistic and drives me insane. The thought of catching the virus accidentally and passing it to my kids terrifies me. Life is bad as it is as I struggle to sleep because I am scared of the constant nightmares I get. I try to avoid sleeping, but then it keeps me up thinking too much, always overthinking, and feeling so hurt beyond anything I can describe”, she says.
Ms John’s son was stabbed twice in Croydon between November 2018 and March 2019, yet she had made desperate pleas to Croydon Council to move her away from the area as she feared he would be the next fatal victim.
Fortunately, her son survived both incidences but his mother has been unable to recover from the mental scars caused by witnessing the aftermath of one the stabbings. She said she has developed a phobia for black boys in hoods as well as the sound of police sirens. But having to be locked in with three of her children
Na-Shar’s stab wound : Image: Simone John
TRAUMA
Driving to work o a daily basis was the only form of therapy she had before now. Now in self isolation in consistence with government guidelines, she says the thought of catching the coronavirus and passing it to her son scares the life out of her.
” I still go out from time to time to the shops, and to be frank I know you can catch the coronavirus from anywhere, including a shop. This coronavirus is really scary and the thought that I could possibly pass it to my son frightens the life out of me. More scary is the possibility of me dying from it and leaving my son behind with nobody to look after him the way a mother would. That is such a scary thought.
”At the end of the day, I appreciate that it is important to maintain the government’s instructions of self isolation, but staying at home and watching the news is so off putting, I have to turn the television off half the time. Which leaves me with mot much else to do but stare at my son and his stabbed arm”
Ms Jones says her experience with Croydon council has left her so bitter that the emotions add to her trauma in a way words can’t express. She has complained to her MP and called for an investigation of Croydon council. The Eye Of Media.Com supports her quest and have began examining her case.