“The negative symptoms of those who experienced the disaster will gradually diminish”
Eskişehir Osmangazi University (ESOGÜ) Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Dr. Faculty member İmran Gökçen Yılmaz Karaman spoke about the traumas experienced in disasters. Speaking on the ESOGÜ Agenda program prepared by the ESOGÜ Institutional Communication Application and Research Center, Karaman warned that the images of the people pulled from the rubble should not be shared informing those exposed to trauma from afar, people who have experienced the disaster and what to do.
“What happened can cause a lot of complex emotions in us”
Speaking of the second-degree survivors of the disaster, Dr. Lecturer İmran Gökçen Yılmaz Karaman stated that it makes us feel helplessness, uselessness, sadness and anger and said: “The things we witness, those who lost their lives, losses, failures in eliminating losses and disorder in organizations can be many complex cause emotions. in our. We can experience sleep disturbances, changes in appetite; We can feel anxious, afraid. In times like these, one of the most helpful things is to show solidarity with loving people who support us, to work together for a common cause, to help each other. Helping and participating in organizations will reduce our sense of helplessness a bit. Talking to those who love us, telling us our problems and sharing our feelings will also reduce the feeling of loneliness we will experience during this period. We should not neglect our physical health. During such stressful periods there may be an increase in smoking and alcohol consumption, and attention should be paid to this.
“The negative symptoms of those who experienced the disaster will gradually diminish”
Karaman also inquired about the situation of the people most affected by the disaster and said ordinary responses could be given to the extraordinary situation in the first period. Karaman said: “Due to high stress, people can be alert all the time, have severe tension and insomnia. There may be symptoms like like it could happen again any minute, like the ground is shaking, if someone is walking a bit faster, there may be symptoms like anxiety. The important thing here is to know that it is a response to severe stress and should not be called a mental illness. The first thing to do is reach a safe place, provide a safe place. The fact that basic needs such as decent shelter, food, drink and water are first met puts people at great ease and these symptoms gradually diminish and fade in the first week and ten days in the acute period; especially if a safe place and social support can be provided. If these symptoms persist for a long time, if they persist after a month, if the person is sleepless, unable to eat, is experiencing severe stress and feels that they are reliving the event, we recommend seeing a mental health professional. health care consultation. .
“It is important to share as many feelings as possible”
Speaking about the loss of family members in the earthquake, ESOGU Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry Dr. Faculty member İmran Gökçen Yılmaz Karaman used the following statements:
“Particularly witnessing the death and suffering of family members firsthand can add to the complications and complicate the grief responses we experience. The sadness and anger we feel are very natural and it is important to share these grief reactions as much as possible and talk to people we trust. The response to grief can vary from person to person. While some people experience the feeling of sadness intensely after the loss, others may experience the feeling of anger more intensely. Such people may also find it difficult to get help because they are angry and angry. To normalize emotions here, say, “You suffered a lot and it can make you angry.” You’ve been through things that can cause this sadness, do you want to talk about it?’ We can approach it with phrases like: We must remember that this can vary from person to person and it is very important to tell those people that we are here to support them, that they can talk to us if they want to talk. Sometimes people don’t want to talk at that time, they may not want to open the details of the event at that time. In this case, we should certainly not force people. It is very important to get the message across: ‘We are here, we can talk whenever you want, we can listen to you’. What we will pay attention to is that these people do not neglect their physical health, we can help them by observing whether they eat enough and take care of themselves. We actually do not have clear information about the duration of the grieving process, but if we look at when intervention is needed; Especially if the person’s physical health deteriorates, if this sadness and anger lasts all day, and if it persists after about 2 months, we definitely recommend that he consult a specialist. Here it is necessary to remember that; This is a great disaster that we have experienced, which is why we call the grief that accompanies a loss traumatic grief, and the grief that comes from seeing great violence, danger, and loss of life. Of course it will be complicated and it will take longer, we have to take that into account.”
Social media posts need attention
Karaman drew attention to his social media posts and stated that the images of the people emerging from the wreckage should not be shared. He added that these messages both traumatized those in front of the screen and would have a long-term negative impact on those rescued from the wreckage.