In the wake of the tsunami disaster, Indonesia is launching its biggest ever mental health drive for traumatised survivors. There are about 650,000 refugees who are in a very unstable emotional condition, according to the head of the mental health division of Indonesia's Health Ministry. The ministry has launched a $140,000 programme funded by the United Nations World Health Organisation, to establish guidelines for treating survivors and sending counsellors to affected areas. Indonesian psychologists have said that the unprecedented scale of the tsunami tragedy, which has left the coasts virtually wiped clean of human habitation, means a huge challenge for the country's mental health experts. Many of the worst hit areas are remote, and traditional community support structures for mental health - ranging from extended family to religious institutions - have been badly damaged by the disaster. Aid workers report rising numbers of survivors exhibiting post-traumatic stress disorder with symptoms ranging from sleeplessness to depression, rage and despair. Severe stress and grief are commonplace and people are too terrified to return to their seaside homes for fear of tsunamis in the future. Even those who show no immediate effects may be at risk. When a tragedy like this happens, sometimes the problems don't emerge immediately. It can take years, according to a child psychologist from Indonesia's National Commission for Child Protection. Children will be a particular focus of the counselling programme, which will develop play-centred programmes aimed at easing shocked children back into normal social routines despite the devastation around them. It is important to stimulate their spirit.
Reuters,
January 2005