After the carnage; a time to heal
Senior Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Athula Sumathipala discusses the importance of helping survivors of the Easter Sunday tragedy cope with their grief
Grief and depression mimic each other but there should be no ‘compulsory counselling’ of the survivors of the Easter Sunday bomb blasts.
This is the strong plea going out from Senior Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Athula Sumathipala who is Director of the Institute for Research & Development. He is also Professor of Psychiatry, Research
Institute for Primary Care & Health Sciences, Keele University and Emeritus Professor of Global Mental Health, King’s College London, United Kingdom.
Pointing out that it would be natural for those who have experienced the Easter Sunday tragedy first-hand to feel sad, angry, that it is not worth living or face sleeplessness, he says “these are ‘normal’ feelings even when there has been a natural death of a loved one and more so in an unnatural and violent death”.
It will take about six months for these men, women and children to overcome these emotions. We need to remember that it is not pathological and certainly not Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). No one should jump to this conclusion and begin treating them for mental illness. Grief is often misdiagnosed as depression. If there is a doubt after about six months, then that person needs to be taken to a Psychiatrist for a proper evaluation and diagnosis, says Dr. Sumathipala.
He is adamant that there is no need for ‘compulsory counselling’ in the wake of such a tragedy. “Compulsory counselling has been proven to be counter-productive. There is no scientific basis for such compulsory counselling as western scientific literature proves,” this Psychiatrist says.
“The path away from such feelings for these people should be in our cultural context. They should be allowed to engage in the normal rituals of providing a dignified burial for their loved ones. If they wish to talk about their feelings, there should be friends or relatives who will listen to them and provide kind words. Even if they are uncommunicative, there should be strong social support,” he adds.
Meanwhile, focusing on why it is crucial to identify the dead and the missing following a disaster and the best way to do it, Dr. Sumathipala states:
■ Identification of bodies and the missing, as well as providing a dignified burial is a vital part of the overall management of a disaster. This is because prolonged, unresolved grief comes about due to the failure to identify missing persons and the lack of information whether loved ones are dead or alive. The knowledge that a missing person is no more provides closure to loved ones, while helping to sort out long-term legal consequences.
■ DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) technology can be used in the identification of remains because 98% of the genetic make-up of humans is unique to each person.
■ Using DNA technology is also less distressing to loved ones from a psychological perspective, rather than carrying out physical identification.
■ Dr. Sumathipala adds that a comprehensive forensic service including modern genetic capabilities should be an integral part of the disaster response in Sri Lanka.