BHUBANESWAR: Scars of man-made disasters like the recent terror strike in Mumbai could be devastating as it might lead to ‘irreversible mental damage’.
The people who suffered, bereaved families or those for whose ‘callousness’ all these happened might suffer from ‘long-term depression’ leading to psychiatric stress and suicides.
Even some people who had providential escape or eyewitness to deaths in the explosions, might also suffer due to ‘guilt and accountability’ factors.
Speaking to this paper, eminent psychiatrist and president of Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) Prof. P.C. Shastri said an international study has found out that after the 9/11 terror strike in New York, almost 25 per cent of the world’s elite population has been suffering from ‘paranoia’ or suspicion disorder.
Calling f or an emergency plan to fight terror in the country, the expert, also a consultant psychiatrist of the Indian Armed Forces, said the way the ‘nine and a half hour delay’ happened just to have the elite NSG commandos take positions should not be repeated.
He also said that the commando operations must not be aired live on TV and the ‘blow-by-blow account’ should not be given as the terrorists might get clues and can change strategies. Also as the groups responsible for these assaults could do more harm, exposing NSG commandos to media must be avoided, he said. He recalled that even after the flames at the Taj were doused, a TV channel was showing it as if the fire was still raging. The unnecessary ‘propaganda’ of ‘terror’ must stop to lessen the psychological stress, he advised.
Pr of Shastri, a Mumbaikar himself, was here yesterday to address the annual conference of Orissa Psychiatric Society. ‘‘As there were 64 blasts in India last year alone, the number of psychiatric patients might go up unless the Centre devises a concrete anti-terror strategy,’’ he said.
On r eaching out to society, he suggested a collaborative approach of the IPS with the Indian Medical Association, general practitioners, students, teachers and NGO workers so that the ‘basic services for basic management’ in psychiatry can be handled at grass-root level. Calling for a 100-fold increase in the number of psychiatrists in the country, Prof Shastri said the 4,000 odd experts are too inadequate to serve the society efficiently as the nation is also having a low awareness level on the related diseases and their preventive care.
