While many people experience both physical and psychological traumas in the earthquake zone, it is observed that the psychology of every individual around us is adversely affected during this period. Many people talk about not being able to sleep lately, feeling like an earthquake is happening all the time, not being able to get over the fear of losing their loved ones, and they may not know how to deal with this situation. In this case, it is very important to get professional help. Specialist Psychologist Arzu Beyribey from Memorial Bahçelievler Hospital gave information about earthquake psychology.
Earthquake causes post-traumatic stress disorder
The reactions of people after the earthquake may vary according to the severity of the disaster, the personal characteristics of the individuals, the type of trauma, whether they were alone or with someone at the time, how long they were under the pressure of this situation, their past experiences, and the possibility of social support.
During an earthquake, the person automatically evaluates the situation and thinks about how to protect himself and his relatives. He is trying to decide on one of his -fight or flight-reactions in the face of stress. The body goes into defense, and the heart rate, pulse and breathing rate increase. Sweating and nausea may occur. After the earthquake is over and the person is able to go to a safe area, these symptoms gradually return to normal.
After this social event, post-traumatic stress disorder may occur, since not only the people who were primarily affected by the earthquake, but also the whole public are exposed to this stress.
The person can relive the event in his mind
PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a mental distress caused by anxiety, uncontrollable thoughts, and repetition of the event in the mind and body in the face of a very difficult event. This event may be abuse, war, natural disaster, etc. situations may occur. The person may show symptoms such as re-experiencing the symptoms experienced during the event, avoiding the environment and people, and being overstimulated.
The psychology of the earthquake victim is as important as saving his life.
The aid planned after the earthquake is usually aimed at saving lives, treating physical injuries, providing shelter and programming infrastructure services, and it is often late to support efforts, as there is a more complex and long-term process at the point of determining the psychological effects and starting treatment on the subject. is started.
There are 3 time periods after an earthquake:
1. Shock: In the face of this heavy experience, the person experiences shock, cannot make sense of his wounds and situation, and the perception of place/time/space becomes confused. May experience loss of consciousness. The person tries to protect himself by alienating from the situation. While some people become unresponsive by freezing, some people may show panic reactions.
2. Passive Period: The person is open to feedback from the environment but is in a passive position. Although it tries to respond to the support efforts coming from its environment, its power to participate in cooperation is still insufficient. It is as if the person has returned to the dependent period of a child.
3. Re-adaptation: The individual’s anxiety and excitement have increased, he is in a trigger state that repeats the trauma he has experienced many times in his mind, and can overreact even to small sound and moving stimuli. The brain, body and spirit need time to return to their old life and to calm down.
It may take time to return to normal life.
After the earthquake, people
• They may experience loss of appetite, sleep problems, anxiety problems, feelings of anger, sadness, and mourning, with varying variability.
• As psychosomatic symptoms, they may give physical reactions such as headache, chest, stomach aches, nausea, and shortness of breath.
• They can close themselves to daily work and communication with their environment with a sense of guilt.
• They may begin to question themselves more on concepts such as death and the meaning of life.
However, the situation people live in is not an easy one. They have to experience an ongoing series of severe situations with anxiety, grief, the pain of the loss of loved ones, thoughts about their insecurity, and self-recriminations with loss. Depending on the severity of the disaster, its suddenness and unexpectedness, and the rate of death and destruction, its effects may increase, and with its psychological effects ranging from 1 to 8 years, specific phobia, anxiety and psychosomatic disorders may accompany the person.
Unfortunately, the most common earthquake in our country among natural disasters, apart from physical destruction and death, is a disaster that can cause significant psychological problems for the survivors. Psychiatric tension and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) problems can be observed after the earthquake. It is important for earthquake victims to receive support from psychological treatments that are known to be beneficial in reducing anxiety, fear and PTSD symptoms.
Among the coping strategies; In problem-focused coping, there are efforts to control and change the stressful situation, and in emotion-focused coping, efforts to regulate the emotions that are caused by stress and make the person uneasy.
Until this unfortunate and powerful experience, people may begin to question issues about the meaning of life, which they did not question before. In life-threatening situations due to natural disasters, general coping scales may not be applicable to all stress situations and the functionality of coping strategies in interpersonal situations may change. It is important to act according to the person and his conditions.
Expert support is essential
• To get over the initial shock, the person should give time to himself and his surroundings, and be respected for grieving. The disaster is a very difficult experience and since it is not possible to expect a return to the old life immediately, the person who does not want to talk should not be forced into it. People who want to share should be supported in a way that makes them feel that they are with them.
• Individuals’ beliefs that they can get through this difficult period with time and patience, especially with effort, should be supported. After the trauma, avoidance, denial, getting away from the problem, blaming oneself/others, etc. should be supported. Care should be taken in case they use useless strategies.
• In this process, it should be considered to make sense of the problems that come to mind, to apply for the support of clinical psychologists in the issues of insomnia, anxiety, anger and guilt, and the methods of coping with trauma should be planned according to the individual.
• It is also important that this process is not so long that it makes the person’s spiritual, social and physical life more difficult. The person should analyze his material and moral needs, be open to providing support from the necessary places and should not remain passive. Because it is a requirement of being human that everyone supports each other in these times.
• Patient should be given time to heal the wounds. While accepting this destruction that many people experience at the same time, the belief that life can be continued by providing the psychological well-being from the place where they left off should be instilled, and the effort of adaptation support should be both cognitive and emotional.
• For the next process, since there is no measure that can be taken to prevent earthquakes today, people’s making decisions about what to do before, during and after a possible earthquake, thanks to education, can reduce their anxiety by making them feel that they have some control over the situation.
Source: (BYZHA) – Beyaz News Agency
