HEALTHY LIFE CLINIC SUPPORT VICTIMS
Four weeks after the deadly terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday, life is still a long way from returning to normal. Living in the digital age, social media and messaging apps like Facebook, Instagram or Whatsapp will not let us move on. With constant updates on the government’s investigations into the attacks along with the viral circulation of gruesome CCTV footage and pictures, people are being subjected to a constant information overload.
This has ultimately distorted our view of the mundane and heightened our sense of terror; a lorry parked outside an apartment complex or even individuals carrying backpacks induce suspicion and stress. Meanwhile, the loved onesof those killed and injured are still grieving and the rest of us are drowning in a whirlpool of paranoia.
Healthy Life Clinic, a health establishment in Colombo reputed for providing family health solutions, comprehensive diabetes care and corporate health and wellness programmes, has led the way in offering mental support services to those directly and indirectly affected by the attacks. Here, they mainly focus on those who may have fallen through the cracks of the typical support systems at work or home.
These may include first responders to the scene like security forces, medical professionals, firefighters, individuals exposed to and affected by the devastation through news channels and conversation or even those tasked with Healthy Life Clinic, has led the way in offering mental support services to those directly and indirectly affected by the attacks clearingup the debris at the site. Healthy Life Clinic’s Chief Consultant and founder Dr. Kayathri Periasamy said that the initial phase of shock and denial has come to an end but people are still grieving.
“We as people have begun to reevaluate how we do things and in many cases, our belief systems. An existential dilemma is governing some people’s minds as to why it happened in places of worship and the purpose of life itself,” said Dr. Periasamy. However, while most people go through the five stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance - with little to no help, there is a group of individuals who cannot move past tragedy as quickly as others. Dr. Perisamy discussed the three unique ways these mental boulders can present themselves to people.