The importance of the fact that the destruction of earthquakes and similar natural disasters (flood, fire, etc.) is not limited to destruction and deaths should also be evaluated with the psychological problems seen in people after the earthquake.
When we consider the earthquake as a serious traumatic event, the earthquake is not limited to destruction and death. It would be more accurate to consider the most common disorder that occurs after post-traumatic stress disorder as Post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder can be defined as any event that the person perceives as a serious threat to his/her mental and physical integrity and that can cause deep damage to the person.
After a disaster such as an earthquake. The effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on people, such as restlessness, insecurity, anxiety that bad things will happen at any moment, depressive symptoms and deterioration in the quality of life, will have negative effects from the productivity of the person to the relationships in his social life, and it is a social problem that requires precautions to be taken from this perspective.
Individuals who have been exposed to an earthquake visualize and experience it over and over again in their minds for a long time. An acute stress response occurs in the first phase of the event, and this phase occurs within the first four weeks and lasts from 2 days to a month. Shock, confusion, dullness, not knowing what to do, terror, fear, helplessness and panic may occur. Aftershocks cause the acute situation to be experienced intensely and the repetition of anxiety and fear.
While individuals who have not had an earthquake before feel confidently connected to life and the world, they feel that they have lost their confidence in life as a result of a sudden event such as an earthquake, and this situation It causes intense anxiety, fear of death, fear of the trust of relatives, the feeling of not being able to do anything, not having the power to change what is happening, will make the individual experience the feeling of helplessness at the highest levels.
Hypersensitivity to sudden sounds, state of anxiety at all times, Symptoms such as restlessness are very common in the acute phase, sleep is disrupted because all these negativities are repeated very frequently in dreams, and sometimes the person may avoid sleep as an avoidance behavior just to avoid experiencing these negativities again, which may cause serious sleep problems in the future. The person is in fear and despair, has lost his hopes and future, cannot believe what he is experiencing, is in extreme anxiety. There may be irritability and sudden anger. Sometimes he may feel like he has lost his emotions, he cannot cry or express his feelings. Physical conditions such as widespread body pains, tachycardia (palpitations), unconsciousness, shortness of breath, where the person is at the moment of the earthquake and how he is positioned are also important in the severity of the psychological discomfort he will experience in the following period. For example, the 1999 Gulf earthquake occurred at night. It was observed that phobic behaviors such as not being able to enter the bedroom and not being able to go to bed occurred in the following impressions. Although nearly twenty years have passed since the earthquake, some studies have found that the prevalence of Posttraumatic stress disorder is between 23-43%.
What should be done to repair the damage caused by Posttraumatic stress disorder caused by the earthquake?
The first intervention after the earthquake should be aimed at meeting primary needs for survival, such as food, shelter, treatment of physical injuries, and normalizing life as soon as possible will be beneficial in reducing psychological problems that may arise in the future.
After trauma and loss. Since sharing emotions will reduce distress, emotional release and relief should be provided by preparing the ground for people who have been exposed to the earthquake to share their sadness, fears and concerns with their relatives.
After the acute period (first month) after the earthquake is over, the Psychotherapist teams should ensure that structured interviews begin within a calendar and are followed for a minimum of three years.
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