KARWAR: A team of psychiatrists from The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, which conducted psychological surveys in flood-affected districts, has revealed that with every passing year people are getting adapted to natural calamities.
According to the team members, cases of depressions, suicide and domestic violence which were triggered during previous flood in 2009 have come down in terms of number this time.
Dr Shashidhar H N, a psychiatrist said, during 2009 many flood victims committed suicide in many parts of Karnataka. This year the number such cases were less and people have realised that they have to fight it out.
However, it is not easy for many to cope up with the flood as they have lost their entire houses and livelihood. In many areas where they visited the people were reluctant to go back to their houses and ready to live in the shelter. They tried to convince them to shift rented houses until their house get constructed with government funds.
The team of seven members from NIMHANS including three psychiatrists, visited Uttara Kannada on Tuesday and Wednesday. They have conducted training programme to district mental health officials and staffs, Aanganwadi and Asha workers, school teachers, police officials and others from Karwar and Ankola taluk to train them to speak with flood-affected people, counselling them and more.
The team also visited many houses and a couple of schools at Belase, Hichkad villages in Ankola taluk and Kadra in Karwar taluk. The team conducted counselling to the people whose houses completely collapsed in the recent flood.
Dr Shashidhar said, the people who lost their houses, household items, livestock, grown up crops in the field and more were totally depressed. They are not sure whether they would reconstruct their life or not.
"Most of the people do not have any alternative job to lead life, their agriculture fields are filled with sand and mud which takes time to give shape. The experts team conducted counsellings and tried to boost their confidence reconstructing and leading life once again", he noted.
District Mental Health Programme Officer Dr Shankar Rao said the counselling and addressing mental health issues of flood-affected people will be continued by his office with the help of Aanganwadi and Asha workers. They are frequently visiting the people and creating confidence.
Flood Impact
* A total 3257 houses damaged in the recent flood in Uttara Kannada
* All 12 taluks in the district were affected by heavy rainfall and flood
* The flood remained for a week in the first week of August
* More than 11,000 people were shifted to rehabilitation centres
* Kali river in Karwar and Gangavali river in Ankola damaged many houses and villages