Psychological stress another threat in Bali

Psychological stress another threat in Bali

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Kuta, Bali

Volunteers and security officers who have been working around
the clock in the aftermath of the fatal blast in Legian are prone
to the Post-Trauma Stress Disorder (PTSD), a noted psychiatrist
has warned.

"These people should rest immediately. It does not necessarily
mean a full eight-hour sleep, just lying on the back for fifteen
minutes and thinking of anything else will be enough," Udayana
University professor Luh Ketut Suryani said on Thursday.

Working continuously for several days without proper rest in
the environment characterized by charred, mutilated corpses, and
collapsed buildings, would eventually drain one's ability to
think clearly and coherently, Suryani said.

Generally that inability would trigger PTSD, he said.

"I am particularly concerned about the journalists,
volunteers, and security officers, who were present at the scene
right after the blast, and then continued working constantly for
hours without taking any rest. These people have encountered
terrible scenes they probably had never seen before, but then
they have o brush aside their fears, repulsion, sadness, anger,
or exhaustion in order to carry out their jobs. They are surely
very exhausted by now, physically and mentally."

PTSD was characterized by sleep disorders, anxiety, extreme
fear, and recurring "flash-backs" of the traumatic event.

"Some of the locals who live near the bomb site have displayed
those symptoms. A few of them admitted the tragedy keeps haunting
them, that they still could hear the sound of the blast or feel
the heat of the raging fire. Generally, they do not dare to come
near the devastated area," Suryani said.

At least 190 people were killed and more than 300 injured by
the bombs that exploded in Paddy's Pub and outside the Sari Club
on Oct. 12. The blast and ensuing fire also destroyed dozens of
nearby buildings and cars.

On Thursday, Suryani conducted free therapy sessions for the
locals with PTSD symptoms. Combining western psychiatric methods
of regressive hypnosis and Balinese traditional meditation
techniques she helped at least 13 locals overcome their trauma.

"It was very good. I certainly feel better now. It is as if I
had been relieved of a suffocating burden," Dewa Darnesta, who
lived just some 50 meters from the leveled Sari Club, said.

Ever since the explosion the 44-year-old man had experienced
extreme fear, including a fear of sleeping alone. His family of
nine have been sharing one bedroom ever since.

The therapy sessions were part of a free medical services
campaign organized by the Udayana University's school of
medicine. Some 30 ear, nose, and throat specialists, 30
psychiatrists, and 150 medical students are involved in the work.

The therapy was held inside the humanitarian post, 100 meters
from the blast site, and at the Legian clinic.

The workers have established a 24-hour hot-line at 0361-222510
to provide counseling and information services for the locals,
who are suffering medical problems as the result of the
explosion.