Managing psychological trauma of victims of catastrophes
The Daily Graphic’s issue of Friday, June 5 had a screaming front page headline that described the floods and inferno that befell Accra on June 3 simply as “Apocalypse”. There were equally descriptive headlines in virtually all the media, including print, electronic and new media.
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The President declared three days of national mourning as a result of the disaster. Churches have prayed endlessly. People have mourned loved ones. Ghanaians from all walks of life have sworn that never again should we allow a disaster of this magnitude, coming as a result of floods, to repeat itself in the capital city.
Psychological counselling
The above expressions underscore the magnitude of the pain and heartbreak that the June 3 disaster has brought and the deep scars it could leave on people’s minds. Thankfully, in view of the huge impact of the disaster, we are told that five institutions have come together to set up a mental health counselling and psychological support centre to offer assistance to the flood and fire victims.
We need to commend the initiative of the five institutions, including the Mental Health Authority of Ghana, the Ghana Psychological Association, the Department of Psychiatry at the Ghana Medical School, the Ghana Psychology Council and the Calvary Baptist Church, for the proactive move to encourage, counsel and offer support to anyone who may have been traumatised by the catastrophe.
And it is true. The effects of incidents on people’s minds in distressful situations such as this are, in other places, given prominence and managed professionally alongside any physical harm a victim may have suffered during the incident. We do not often see this kind of mental care here in our country.
Admittedly, for those who survived the floods and inferno, the next few months are going to be critical for them mentally, especially as we prepare for more rains during this season. They are likely to relive, in their minds, the horrible experiences they went through on that fateful day. It is a natural reaction which could go with periods of insomnia.
Religious and family comforts
In times like this, we tend to seek comfort in religious beliefs. Victims tend to believe that their anxieties have religious connotations and, therefore, dwell on that for their support. That may be true.
Also of psychological help is the care and support of family and friends which, to some extent, come in to strengthen the will of a victim. While all that work well for some, professional psychological and mental management is critical.
Culture of professional counselling
Unfortunately, we have not adopted the culture of using the professional services of psychologists and social workers, particularly in critical times when people live in perpetual anxieties, sometimes finding life to be of very little meaning to them. It could be people who have come out of abusive relationships, household income earners who have lost their jobs, sexually assaulted persons, victims of armed robbery attacks, non-performing corporate managers, widows and widowers. The list is endless.
The setting up of the counselling support centre, therefore, is commendable, especially where the team plans to set up a satellite one near the GCB Tower at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, adjacent to the scene of the disaster. They apparently also plan to set up more centres in other parts of the city. Victims need to be encouraged to take advantage of these services.
Going forward
Going forward, what we, as a country, need are permanent counselling and welfare centres where people torn apart by anxious moments can go for counselling. We do not need to wait until catastrophes of this magnitude happen before we begin to see the need to offer psychological counselling services.
We have seen some survivors on television traumatised as they recounted the last moments of the disaster. Countless family members of those who lost their lives have recounted their utter devastation in camera. No amount of words will be enough to take away their pain and regret. These are all natural reactions to any sudden shock.
Just as we have a permanent relief centre as in National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), we should have throughout the country centres where people could walk in for counselling in times of disasters. With experiences from elsewhere, and where disasters affect people, sometimes on massive scale, emotional care comes alongside other trauma management mechanisms.
We can only hope that the lessons from the misfortunes of June 3 would include the establishment of permanent mental health counselling and psychological support centres across the country.
In times like this, a line of psychological counselling in the print and electronic media and repeated reminders of available services for mental health counselling will not be out of place.
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