Rebuilding a post disaster "spiritual home" for a healthy China | Paying attention to psychological trauma needs | Emotions | Trauma
After the flood, what needs to be rebuilt is not only houses, roads, fields, etc., but also people's psychology. Recently, an article was released on the official account of the Beijing Municipal Health Commission, stating that the population affected by post disaster psychological trauma is quite extensive, not only including the families and survivors of the victims, but also possibly including witnesses, rescue personnel, and others. Qian Ying, Chief Physician of the Clinical Psychology Center at Peking University Sixth Hospital, stated that it is important to timely understand the psychological status of key populations and provide them with early psychological intervention, which can help them overcome the shadow and return to normal life as soon as possible.
Rationally understanding psychological issues
"Humans may face various disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, famines, etc., which may cause post-traumatic stress disorder and psychological trauma, especially those who have suffered the death of relatives or property losses. During this flood, the party and government have been fully supporting the affected areas and communities, and this support system can greatly help the affected people to reduce psychological trauma. However, some people still have some psychological problems, which requires professionals to give scientific support and response." Lu Lin, academician of the CAS Member and president of Peking University Sixth Hospital, said.
"Directly exposed individuals, rescue workers, and family members of dispersed individuals often suffer from varying degrees of psychological trauma, including anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Among them, those with more severe stress reactions may experience four stages of psychological change: numbness shock, denial pursuit, confusion and depression, and reconnection," said Qian Ying.
When in a period of numbness shock, the reactions of psychological trauma victims are usually divided into two categories: one type of person is in a numb state, with a blank brain and even losing their ability to take care of themselves, and needs to be taken care of by others; Another type of person is exceptionally calm, as if nothing has happened, and is in an avoidance state out of self-protection. Qian Ying stated that it is normal for such reactions to occur within three days or a month after the disaster. At this stage, psychological victims lack a sense of security and need to ensure their clothing, food, housing, and transportation, as well as provide understanding and companionship.
After entering the denial pursuit period, some psychological victims may still believe that their family members are still alive one or two months after their death and want to continue searching for their whereabouts. This state usually lasts for 3-6 months. "At this stage, it is necessary to fully respect the psychological victims, neither strengthening their pursuit behavior nor rushing to bring them back to reality. They should be allowed to engage in emotional processing." Qian Ying introduced.
After entering the third stage of chaos and depression, the psychological victim has already accepted the fact that their family has passed away, and their emotions are depressed and sad. During this period, family and friends need to focus on their emotions, empathize more with them, and provide support to help them enter a period of reconnection, gradually returning to reality, regaining a sense of security, connection, and efficacy, and starting a new life.
"Many people, especially the families of the victims, require a longer time for psychological reconstruction. When they start a new life, they often feel guilty, and some even do not allow themselves to enjoy food or wear beautiful clothes. During this process, if the psychological victims are informed in advance of the different reactions that may occur at different stages, and these reactions are normal, it will help them recover their self-regulation ability." Qian Ying introduced that on August 8th, Peking University Sixth Hospital has sent eight psychiatric experts to Mentougou and Fangshan districts to help the disaster stricken population scientifically recognize psychological problems and provide targeted psychological assistance.
Scientifically overcoming psychological trauma
Qian Ying introduced that 1-3 days after the disaster is an acute stress response period, which includes symptoms such as panic, numbness, and overwork. Even normal people have various psychological reactions, and generally relieve themselves within 1-3 days, with a maximum of 1-2 weeks. The acute stress response of a small number of people may persist until one month after the disaster, and may lead to anxiety, depression, insomnia, and even symptoms of acute stress disorder, which usually resolves within one month. If the symptoms of acute stress response persist until one month after the trauma occurs, or only begin to appear one month later, which seriously affects the patient's quality of life and social function, it is called post-traumatic stress disorder, and the proportion of occurrence is generally less than 5%.
How to determine if you need professional treatment? Lu Lin said that if one's own anxiety, depression, and other emotions affect normal life, such as insomnia, anorexia, and avoidance of socializing, they need to go to the hospital for treatment. If there are only physiological phenomena such as palpitations, but normal communication and life with others can still occur, there is no need for treatment. You can try to relieve them through exercise or communication with family and friends.
"In the process of post disaster psychological reconstruction, different principles should be followed at different levels. From the perspective of the whole society, we suggest restoring normal post disaster life as soon as possible, including normal family life, social life, etc. From the individual level, individuals should restore normal communication with family and friends as soon as possible, and resume regular sleep patterns, maintaining sufficient sleep. Good sleep is crucial for restoring physical and mental health," said Lu Lin.
Regarding the psychological reconstruction of rescue personnel in disaster areas, Qian Ying said, "Pre job training is very important. Rescue personnel are exposed to secondary trauma and need to understand in advance what secondary trauma is and what its manifestations are. In addition, during the disaster relief and post disaster stages, they need to fully play their role, gain a sense of efficacy and honor. In fact, psychological assistance in the acute phase is to do a good job in the daily life that we are familiar with, so that the psychological victims can regain a sense of value and restore their normal life as soon as possible."
