Dealing With Disaster As Much A Psychological Issue As A Physical One

Posted on December 17, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR: Every year a number of our fellow citizens fall victim to floods. Volunteers all around the nation come forward to aid these victims, and slowly but surely, the damage to property is worked on as victims return to their homes.

However victims are not only physically hurt but psychologically traumatised.

Perdana University Consultant Psychiatrist & Associate Professor in Psychiatry, Dr. Andrew Mohanraj said the community in Malaysia has a poor understanding on mental health and is unaware that tackling the issues psychologically could be the best way to overcome the situation.

"These people who have been made victim to such a disaster may go through a lot of emotions, and the common ones include, anger, anxiety, fear, depression and sometimes even helplessness.

"In incidents where there is a loss of life, especially that of a loved one, many of them experience what we call survivor guilt, where they may begin questioning on why they had survived while the others didn't, and at times are unable to come into terms with certain decisions they had to make while fighting for their lives," he said.

"It is the responsibility of the volunteers and medical experts present to aid in the rehabilitation process and do their part in helping these victims reconnect with their lives prior to the disaster.

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Category(s):Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) / Trauma / Complex PTSD

Source material from Malaysian Digest