2023-10-11 13:15:54
World Mental Health Day occurred this year after natural disasters that included a devastating earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria last February, floods in northeastern Libya, and an earthquake in Morocco, in addition to other crises that included a war in Sudan, and now the war between Israel and Gaza.
Experts agree that these disasters and wars negatively affect the human psyche, but in varying degrees and subject to different considerations. In all cases, they are effects that must be paid attention to and confronted in order to maintain sound psychological health.
Varying effects
Psychologist Dr. Rima Bejjani confirms that there are “direct and indirect effects” of crises on the mental health of people affected by them.
She said in her interview with Al-Hurra website, “The effects differ between each person and another depending on how he deals with such matters. Some of them work to strengthen their psychological abilities, and some of them have experienced crises during their lives.”
She adds, “These people were able to develop their mental or emotional capabilities to confront the direct effects that include fear, anxiety, and depression.”
She explained that “people who did not work to strengthen their mental health, and did not receive support from family, relatives or friends in this regard, are usually the ones who suffer from trauma (shock),” and these are the ones most affected by crises, and their condition is “difficult to deal with and treat.”
Regarding the indirect repercussions, she said that they “usually come after the crisis, meaning that if anything happens that reminds of it (such as an image, sound, or event), ripple effects occur, and the person must be psychologically prepared to confront them.”
Methods of prevention
Regarding ways to prevent these crises, Bejjani says, “Crises, wars, and disasters continue and are repeated, and there is a need to address fear and develop psychological capabilities.”
She explained that the best way is to “leave the scene” of the disaster or war, to stay away from the surrounding negative influences, in addition to enhancing awareness and combating fear.
She added that to enhance mental health, one must “fortify oneself with facts (for reassurance), meaning that if there is a fear of an earthquake, for example, the history of the area in which the person is located can be reviewed to know its history with earthquakes and realistic facts about it that will make him feel reassured.”
Regarding the effect of following news on social networking sites, she says that “developing mental abilities helps improve psychological health (…) in addition to reducing the receipt of information or news that may be bad, and preoccupying oneself with useful things to release negative energy (such as sports or practicing a hobby). Or learn something new).
She stressed the necessity of “not focusing on and paying attention to the surplus of information that we do not need and which increases anxiety,” stressing that “the matter is not easy and requires a strong will,” but this enhances mental health, which is considered an “invincible fortress.”
Universal right
The World Health Organization considers that “mental health is a universal human right,” and that celebrating World Day aims to “improve knowledge, raise awareness, and advance measures that promote and protect mental health.”
Good mental health is reflected in a person’s life and overall well-being. However, one in eight people in the world lives with a mental health condition that can affect their physical health, how they communicate with others, and their livelihoods, according to the organization.
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