The murders of the young academician Ceren Damar and the little child Mertcan, which have occurred in our country in the last week, have deeply affected me, and I wanted to point out that the social infrastructure comes from traumas. In my opinion, Turkish society is a "Trauma Society" and I can say that these traumas are passed on from generation to generation, accompanied by the person's own trauma, and since most of the time no psychological support is received, the environment is prepared for such painful events to occur. So, I can hear you asking, what does the trauma society have to do with these events? Let me explain it this way; “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) refers to a number of emotional, intellectual and behavioral problems that occur after a trauma. What is trauma? Apart from the ordinary problems and stressors we encounter in our daily lives, they are extraordinary experiences that threaten and disturb the emotional and spiritual world of the person. Natural disasters, earthquake, flood, fire or human-induced trauma. What are these? These are events such as torture, physical violence and sexual violence. PTSD also occurs as a reaction to this extraordinary event.”
What are these reactions? “In the first moments, the person may not talk or communicate for hours. Later, we can observe that he was depressed during the period when he was communicating. May show extreme startle response from the slightest stimulus. For example, he jumps when he hears a knock on the door or a phone call. Their sleep is disturbed, they cannot sleep, they have nightmares.”
It is not a remote possibility that all these events may be traumas from childhood that nourish them. “Unfortunately, people are exposed to trauma starting from childhood. Young children are also negatively affected by both natural disasters and sexual harassment and violence inflicted on them. Here, the reaction to trauma occurs in varying degrees of intensity depending on the type of trauma experienced, its severity, and the age, developmental period, and psychological development period of the individual. Children live more severely and may develop severe personality disorders if they do not receive effective intervention and psychological support. Depression may be added to this mood disorder in adulthood. Even substance use can be processed. Man-made traumas affect individuals much more than natural disasters. We can list these as physical violence, sexual violence, torture and war.”
It can be said that the most important duty falls on the closest caregivers, especially if a child is traumatized. It is beneficial for them to be observers. "The people around him/her should give sincere and sincere support to the traumatized person according to the closeness they showed before the incident, and the person should not be left alone, especially in the first days of the incident. The traumatized person must make sure they are in a safe environment. Of course, it is very important to apply to judicial authorities. If it is a human-made trauma, legal action must be taken. This is very important in terms of developing the sense of justice and connecting the person to life and believing in the society they live in again. This person should be provided with psychological support from the very first moments. There are some traumas, such as natural disasters, accidents, fires, etc. that a person can overcome on his own, but there is no rule that every traumatized person should receive psychiatric treatment, especially drug treatment. However, it is important to follow the process.”
So what should be done when we encounter such a situation? “A person should not be alone, his general health should be taken care of, he should eat well, sleep well, rest well. It should never be directed towards substances harmful to the brain. One should not turn to alcohol to sleep. If there is such a need, a doctor should be consulted. He should be involved in social life, and should continue his relationships with his friends in the same order as before. If he has a job, he should continue his job, do sports and socialize. One should not refrain from getting psychiatric support when necessary.”
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