TIRUVALLA: A fear psychosis has gripped those living along the banks of Pampa and Manimala - which bore the brunt of the century’s worst deluge in mid-August - as the monsoon’s onset this year stoked concerns of a fresh wave of flooding in the region. Last year, after the havoc wrought by the flood, several persons had approached local hospitals seeking treatment for acute insomnia triggered by severe mental stress.
S Prathibha, psychiatrist and district hospital superintendent, said medical camps were held by various medical colleges and District Medical Officers for dealing with cases of acute mental stress in the flood’s aftermath. “Two hundred and seventeen people were given counselling after they were found to be suffering from severe mental stress.
However, none have approached the hospital directly for treatment of flood-related stress. Nonetheless, there have been several instances of people seeking medication from others for dealing with the condition,” she said. Vinod Kumar from Aranmula says, “I find it almost impossible to sleep when it rains incessantly. During the flood in 2018, I suffered losses to the tune of several lakhs. I’m now consumed by an irrational fear of flood. The people here have no idea when the government is going to declare a red alert in Pathanamthitta district.”
Several people have sought refuge in yoga and counsellors in a bid to deal with the mental stress. Turning people into a bundle of nerves, the water level in Pampa and Manimala went up around 10 feet within the space of just 24 hours. Roy Abraham Kallivayalil, Head of Psychiatry Department, Pushpagiri Medical College, Tiruvalla, said the department had organised 10 medical camps and identified around 200 people who need follow-up treatment. “We provided free service to those suffering from flood-related stress,” he said. This highlights the importance of disaster psychiatry.
“World Psychiatric Association has an exclusive section for disaster psychiatry which put together a mental health guide on interventions during disasters,” said Kallivayalil.