Experts: Mental Healthcare an Important Part of Recovery from Turkey Quake
2023-03-07
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1The recent 7.8 earthquake magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria caused major physical destruction and loss of life in both countries.
2Health experts now warn that the disaster will also cause major mental health damage as well.
3Officials say tens of thousands of people died and over 1.5 million were left homeless in cold winter conditions.
4Many have lost family members, jobs and their hopes for the future.
5Tugce Seren Gul's aunt and grandmother were killed in Antakya in Turkey's southeast.
6Every night, she waits until 4:17 am in the morning, the exact time that the disaster hit, to try to go to sleep.
7"I keep thinking another disaster will strike at that time and just wait for it to pass," said the 28-year-old Gul.
8She escaped by running out of her family house with her mother moments before the walls collapsed.
9Gul said the horror has weighed heavily on the mental health of survivors who "lost everything" in the city of Antakya.
10She wants to one day seek professional mental health help to deal with the trauma.
11But for now, she is establishing a new life for herself and her family.
12Experts fear children will be hardest hit.
13The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said many of the more than 5.4 million children who live across the area affected by the earthquake were at risk of developing anxiety, depression and other disorders.
14"We know how important learning and routine is for children and their recovery," UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Afshan Khan said after a visit to Turkey.
15"They need to be able to resume their education, and they urgently need" psychological "support to help deal with the trauma they have experienced."
16Mehmet Sari is a government social support worker.
17He said he and others in his team have seen signs of trauma in children.
18They need long-term support to recover from trauma, he said.
19Turkey's Ministry of Family and Social Services said it has sent more than 3,700 social workers to support those affected by the earthquake.
20Psychologist and professor at MEF University, Ayse Bilge Selcuk, said the Turkish people have already been under pressure.
21She said rising poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic have hurt the country.
22"The stress is chronic," Selcuk said, meaning that the tension continues over time.
23"For this nation to get back on its feet, we need to find that strength within us and that starts with our psychology," she added.
24President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to rebuild homes within a year.
25But it will still be many months before thousands can leave temporary shelters.
26People look numb, likely a defense process to deal with stress, said Selcuk.
27Anxiety, helplessness and depression are likely to be common and young people could feel anger.
28Rebuilding efforts should include mental health, Selcuk said.
29She urged the government to provide money for training psychologists to be sent to the earthquake areas to stay there.
30"We shouldn't withdraw our attention three months later," she said.
31I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1The recent 7.8 earthquake magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria caused major physical destruction and loss of life in both countries. Health experts now warn that the disaster will also cause major mental health damage as well. 2Officials say tens of thousands of people died and over 1.5 million were left homeless in cold winter conditions. Many have lost family members, jobs and their hopes for the future. 3Tugce Seren Gul's aunt and grandmother were killed in Antakya in Turkey's southeast. Every night, she waits until 4:17 am in the morning, the exact time that the disaster hit, to try to go to sleep. 4"I keep thinking another disaster will strike at that time and just wait for it to pass," said the 28-year-old Gul. She escaped by running out of her family house with her mother moments before the walls collapsed. 5Gul said the horror has weighed heavily on the mental health of survivors who "lost everything" in the city of Antakya. 6She wants to one day seek professional mental health help to deal with the trauma. But for now, she is establishing a new life for herself and her family. 7Children at risk 8Experts fear children will be hardest hit. The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said many of the more than 5.4 million children who live across the area affected by the earthquake were at risk of developing anxiety, depression and other disorders. 9"We know how important learning and routine is for children and their recovery," UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Afshan Khan said after a visit to Turkey. 10"They need to be able to resume their education, and they urgently need" psychological "support to help deal with the trauma they have experienced." 11Mehmet Sari is a government social support worker. He said he and others in his team have seen signs of trauma in children. 12They need long-term support to recover from trauma, he said. 13Turkey's Ministry of Family and Social Services said it has sent more than 3,700 social workers to support those affected by the earthquake. 14'The stress is chronic' 15Psychologist and professor at MEF University, Ayse Bilge Selcuk, said the Turkish people have already been under pressure. She said rising poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic have hurt the country. 16"The stress is chronic," Selcuk said, meaning that the tension continues over time. "For this nation to get back on its feet, we need to find that strength within us and that starts with our psychology," she added. 17President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to rebuild homes within a year. But it will still be many months before thousands can leave temporary shelters. 18People look numb, likely a defense process to deal with stress, said Selcuk. Anxiety, helplessness and depression are likely to be common and young people could feel anger. 19Rebuilding efforts should include mental health, Selcuk said. She urged the government to provide money for training psychologists to be sent to the earthquake areas to stay there. 20"We shouldn't withdraw our attention three months later," she said. 21I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 22Humeyra Pamuk and Timour Azhari reported this story for Reuters. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. 23____________________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25psychological -adj. relating to the study or treatment of the mind 26anxiety -v. fear or tension about the future 27routine -n. something that is done every day or very regularly 28resume -v. to begin again or go back to 29trauma -n. an experience that causes injury or an extreme shock that causes long-term harm 30stress -n. a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be involved in causing some diseases 31chronic -adj. continuing or happening again and again for a long time 32get back on (your) feet -idiom to get healthy again after a period of sickness 33numb -adj. lacking in emotion: indifferent 34_____________________________________________________________________ 35We want to hear from you. 36Here is how our comment system works: 37Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.