Emotional effects of Natural disasters

Aravinda Hettiarachchi

Natural disasters leave behind lives shattered by physical injury as well as psychological disorders. Natural disasters as we know are as flood waters rise over river banks, super quakes, super tornado, oceanic anoxia, super waves and more. And most media institutions exploit such situations to their advantage. And they also try to give maximum publicity to these events to share these shock experiences with the other people basically to keep the audiences’ attention on them.

Yet, do we pay attention the survivors’ feelings?

The emotional condition that take place due to the physical and mental pain (often hidden at the outset) lingers on to long after these disasters.

The psychological upsets is caused by disasters due to the wrong images or self interpretations gathered continuously in the minds of the people who faced these disasters.

Yet the developed countries pay serious attention to these emotional psychological drawbacks through their well equipped clinical and counselling institutions such as Centers for Mental Health Studies in Emergencies and the National Institutions of Mental Health.

But the third world or the underdeveloped societies after years of colonialism have no such refined institutions for recovery.

From tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes to super waves and the after reactions of disaster experienced people are always in a predictable sequence. The initial shocks and terror of these disasters are followed by the disorders such as euphoria and depression ranging from mild to extreme. Thus ‘Crisis Counsellings’ in the declared disaster areas in any country should be activated through the involvement of the state Government. Then the plan of preventive mental health strategies should take place. Thereafter, the final recuperation program should come in to the scene.

According to the professionals of psychoanalysis, these disasters would cause six quick initial responses of human behavior such as fear, numbness and shock, confusion, difficulty in making decisions, desire for information, seeking help for oneself and family, and helpfulness to others.

Yet the delayed responses such as changes in appetite, headache, inability to sleep, anger, suspicion, apathy, depression, lost connection with the family and friends, disillusion with the professionals’ help, guilt and difficulty to avoide emergency surface months later.

Whenever a home destroyed from any natural disaster and the neighbours are lost, immediately the psychological pain take place. And this would turned into worse mental conditions around. Because losing homes makes you feel like losing a limb of your body. And, if the social support is unavailable, this will lead you to several instabilities in mental health.

This happens because you may never have the opportunity to own another home, specially if you are older. Or else, even if you move into a new home, it is not the same as an old home. And while you lose your photographs and memories it appears to you that you have lost your own history. These are the thoughts that interrupt the natural mental behaviour. These thoughts would sometimes cause you a lifetime unhappiness.

Therefore, the speed of recuperation varies from one person to another as well as one type of disaster to another. On the other hand, you cannot heal disasters in six weeks or three months. And people usually expect things to settle down sooner. But, unexpected mental conditions would appear years after with upsurge of stress symptoms.

Thereafter all the memorable holidays, as well as personal functions such as birthdays, X-mas parties and other events of warmth makes your eyes filled with tears. Thus 10 percent of disaster affected population will have some associated problems for two or four years.

Therefore, the under-developed world should refine their institutional background of mental health of disaster recuperation.

The developed countries should keep going through further research of recuperation as well as sharing their new methods and technicalities of recuperation with these less fortunate countries.