This was stated by renowned psychiatrist and head Department of Psychiatry Fatima Jinnah Medical College Professor Dr Haroon Rashid Chaudhry while talking to Business Recorder, on his return from Muzaffarabad and other tremor-hit areas, where he examined people facing post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) during Eid holidays.
Professor Haroon maintained that children and women are passing through critical phase of their lives because hopelessness, anger and negative thinking are rampant among them. "The incidence of post-trauma distress experienced by women and children, is the highest," he said, adding, "If left untreated, the conditions of these people would deteriorate to such an extent as to require prolonged psychiatric treatment."
"The earthquake survivors are required to be given proper medication as well as psychological counselling services to enable them to come out of mental trauma," he emphasised.
He praised Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz for constituting a national task force headed by a consultant psychologist to provide psychiatric services and post-trauma counselling to the quake victims.
"Psychological counselling is as important for recovery and rehabilitation of the survivors as treatment of wounds, he said and added "Fatima Jinnah Medical College is holding a workshop tomorrow (November 9) at 9.30 am to impart training to social workers and volunteers, who will visit the quake-hit areas to provide psychological counselling services to the survivors so that they could lead a normal life."
ADOLESCENTS: To a question, Professor Dr Haroon Chaudhry claimed that a large number of quake stricken adolescents are also facing severe depression, which may cause suicide among them, if they remain unattended. He was of the view that a large number of children and adolescents have either orphaned or separated after the devastating earthquake.
He was of the view that the government must launch an immediate programme for the rehabilitation of quake-stricken children particularly those who have been orphaned or separated from their parents.
He added that 'children are in a state of shock after losing their parents and dear ones, and many are those who had lost their limbs.'