The victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Herat Province, western Afghanistan, on October 7, killing more than 2,500 people, are facing a strong and difficult psychological shock from the painful experiences they went through due to the loss of loved ones and relatives, and the destruction of their homes, which left them in the open without help. ceiling, and also because of their fear for their future, which requires providing them with appropriate psychological support, which is not available according to the data on the ground and the country’s conditions. There is no doubt that the priority is to provide the assistance that those affected need, including shelter, food, and treatment of diseases.
Psychiatrist Naeem Allah told Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed: “Those affected by the devastating earthquake went through a very difficult experience whose effects are still ongoing. They live in tents and under the sky, and some of them are near mass graves in which their relatives were buried. And the terrible picture of mass graves and ambulance work to remove the dead from under the rubble.” Using primitive means that are still firmly entrenched in their minds, and let us not forget that over the past four decades, the Afghans have faced very difficult circumstances due to wars that caused them great losses, which means that any emergency incident greatly affects them, especially if its damages are as severe as those caused by an earthquake. Herat. He adds: “The main problem in our country is that going to a psychiatrist is considered a shame, and the person is classified as crazy. When events such as an earthquake occur, efforts are focused on meeting the needs of those affected in terms of food, shelter, medicine, and treatment, while attention to mental illnesses is a non-existent phenomenon.”
While Naim Allah confirms that “the anxiety of the residents of the afflicted and affected areas increases with the passage of days,” an activist in a relief team in the afflicted area tells Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed: “There are traces of mental illness among most of the afflicted, to the point that some of them seem as if they are in another world as they listen to the conversations.” Then they don’t know what it included when the talk is over. They are all in a strange psychological shock, especially women and children who are more vulnerable to psychological illnesses compared to the more hardened men.”
He mentions that “a teenager whose mother died in the earthquake is absent from his family during the day, and when he is found, he is in a state of crying near his mother’s burial place. He talks to his mother, and sits on her grave as if she were alive talking to him, and this is how he is during sleep as well. His grandfather spoke to me and told me The boy’s situation has become what concerns him most, especially since he suddenly calls his mother when he is alone, and no one knows what to do with him.”
The activist quotes the grandfather himself as saying, “His wife’s condition is psychologically very bad because she cries day and night over the death of her daughter-in-law, who was like a daughter who supported her and stood close to her. She is also very worried about the condition of her grandson, with whom she shares tears. This is one story, while there are many stories.” Other”.
The necessities of life are the first concern for survivors (Ismat Allah Habibian/Agence France-Presse)
While Sayed Ashraf, a resident of the affected area, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that “mental health is linked to physical health and the living situation,” psychiatrist Muhammad Khawaja agreed, in his interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that “all matters are linked to each other.” If the psychological state is good, this greatly affects the physical state, and if the mind works well and the psychological state is stable, then everyone who faces a disaster can manage things calmly. Hence, mental health is very important for a person, and it deteriorates in the aftermath of every accident, especially If it is a devastating earthquake, then I call on the Taliban government, the international community, and all local and international charitable institutions to pay attention to the issue as they care about other aspects.”
It should be noted that the World Health Organization sent a delegation of eight doctors specializing in psychiatric diseases to the affected area.
On October 11, a member of the committee formed by the Taliban government to supervise relief work said, “The government is concerned with all the needs of the earthquake victims, but it focuses primarily on shelter, food, and basic necessities of life, and in a second phase it will work on “Rebuilding homes to make them more reassured and give them psychological comfort. We know that those affected are going through a critical stage, but we are working to restore their normal lives so that they can live in comfort, security and stability.”
2023-10-14 23:21:04
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