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For mental well-being after the Ditwah calamity
View(s):By Kumudini Hettiarachchi
As important as ensuring physical health is maintaining mental equilibrium in times of crisis and calamity.
Thousands are in dire straits in their own affected homes, living with relatives or friends or in centres for the displaced.
Many of them have faced the deaths of loved ones, been in danger themselves and lost all their worldly possessions, including valuable documents and also their homes.
Dr T. Gadambanathan
It is from Senior Consultant Psychiatrist Dr T. Gadambanathan, attached to the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital, that the Sunday Times sought information on how to protect the mental health of people.
Having lived through the devastating floods of Batticaloa in 2012, he says that adults need to get back to their routines as quickly as possible. This would include self-care as well as connecting with neighbours, family and friends.
Cautioning against isolation, Dr Gadambanathan advocates active participation in volunteering, even if limited to the centre one is in. Help the authorities manage these centres, as it will bring back meaning to life.
Whatever a person has been doing should be resumed—if a mason, attend to some work in the centre, he says, also pointing out that if religious, people should undertake those rituals to help them cope, especially in cases where there has been loss of life. These rituals would aid a person to remember the lost one, rather than fighting to ward off thoughts of that loved one.
“Avoid or limit the use of social media,” he says, as the more negative stuff you access will make you feel hopeless, as if all hope is lost. It would be better to get information from authentic sources rather than fall prey to rumours.
According to this senior psychiatrist, adults need to be positive, even in the face of calamity. He recalls how after the December 2004 tsunami devastated Trincomalee, a village got mobilised to make it safe. This supported positive growth, group decision-making and the strength which came from working as a team.
Looking at children closely, Dr Gadambanathan underscores that they learn from their parents. Much attention should be showered on them, with explanations about what has befallen them to their level of knowledge and hope instilled that it can be overcome. “Give them a message of hope, not a false promise. Be frank—tell them these disasters will happen, but they can be overcome. Let them get back to their lessons, but don’t overload or pressurise them with academic activity.”
He says that sometimes a child would feel duty-bound to take on the role of a lost father/mother or older brother/sister and become the “man” or “woman” of the home. This would be an undue burden on the child, and he/she should be dissuaded gently from such action.
“Send them back to school, if it is open, as soon as possible and get them involved in play activity while connecting with their friends,” he urges, calling play and art powerful tools in the restoration of normalcy as well as an emotional outlet. In earlier crises, centres for the displaced had set up child-friendly corners.
The same applied to adolescents—sometimes adults chastise them to “grow up” or not to be weak and cry. They need to express themselves, in whatever form they feel comfortable, says this psychiatrist. Let them be emotional; let them cry if they want to. Give them space and opportunity to do so. Just assure them that they will be looked after.
Another vulnerable group that Dr Gadambanathan talks of is the elderly. “Get the elders to tell the younger generation the good things that happen after disasters, how people come in large numbers to help, etc., so that they do not feel left out. They should also be treated with respect and dignity.”
He reiterates that in the aftermath of the cyclone, as secondary trauma sets in, the authorities need to provide micro as well as macro-level support as people wait in hope. Their resilience will be boosted if they know that hope is not lost.
| HotlineThe National Mental Health Hotline is 1926. If feeling overwhelmed or there is a need to unburden, please call the above hotline, says Dr T. Gadambanathan. Anyone who feels down and extremely tearful could also seek help from the nearest hospital, he adds. | |
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