2023-11-24 19:57:36
After about seven weeks of detention in Gaza, a number of researchers and doctors are raising questions about the possible consequences on the mental health of the hostages released by Hamas. Some of them believe that although there are no symptoms of post-traumatic stress specific to the hostages, the hostage experience itself carries its own characteristics. It may cause future problems such as isolation, possible exposure to humiliation, and feelings of helplessness.
Published on: 24/11/2023 – 20:57
4 minutes
Following the release of dozens of women and children hostages on Friday, as part of… The temporary truce concluded between Israel and Hamas which had been detaining them for a month and a half in the Gaza Strip, the aspect related to the psychological health of those released appears to be strongly present in the context of talking about possible means and methods to alleviate the severity of the repercussions they may suffer.
In this context, British psychiatrist Neil Greenberg, who specializes in psychological trauma, says, “Not all people who leave captivity (…) develop post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental disorders, but this is the case of a large minority.”
But, what are the psychological consequences for these hostages? Is there a precedent that allows a scientific description of the effects of what happened, such that there is any room for comparison between shocks?
According to Greenberg, generally speaking, “there are no post-traumatic stress symptoms specific to hostages.”
But the hostage experience itself carries characteristics that may cause future problems, such as isolation, possible exposure to humiliation, and feelings of helplessness…
In addition, the media spotlight that often accompanies hostage-takings casts doubt on their ability to recover or not.
Some of them collapsed, such as the French journalist Brice Floteau, who ended his life in 2001 after eight months of being held hostage in Chechnya, and John Paul Getty III (grandson of the American oil tycoon John Paul Getty, who was once the richest man in the world), who was unable to recover from the shock of his kidnapping. In Italy in the 1970s, when he was a child, he sank into a spiral of addiction that left him paralyzed until his death.
Also, less severe post-traumatic stress symptoms were observed among former hostages, such as difficulty concentrating, memory loss, bouts of depression or anxiety, and withdrawal from social life.
But victims tend, despite everything, to regain control over their lives, and some former hostages, paradoxical as it may seem, ultimately gain positive effects from their experience on a psychological level.
What explains these differences?
Psychiatrists have difficulty answering and admit that it is difficult to know in advance whether one hostage is more likely than another to develop mental disorders.
In 2009, the authors of a study on this topic in the Journal of the British Royal Society of Medicine acknowledged that “we have not clearly identified the factors that lead to negative developments after a hostage taking.”
But it identified some potential risk factors: the hostage being a woman, having a low level of education, or being isolated for a long period… But this study is old and difficult to rely on in drawing scientific conclusions.
The study explained that “for ethical and practical reasons, especially when it comes to children, it is difficult to follow up on hostages after their release,” noting the risk of reliving trauma by conducting interviews with former hostages, “and therefore the available medical and scientific data is relatively modest.”
Many studies rely on biographies of former hostages, which is a limited point of view.
Another element that complicates the process of tracking psychological effects is that disorders may take a long time to appear.
“It may appear after one, two, or ten years, and it cannot be predicted at all,” explains psychiatrist Christine Rollier, who specializes in post-traumatic stress disorder, stressing the need to follow up on the hostage on a psychological level immediately after her release.
She stresses the need to “immediately allow the person to talk about what he went through. It is a way to relive the extraordinary events” that transported him to a different world, adding that “the goal is to accompany him on the way back to the world of the living.”
It is noteworthy that the Hamas movement launched an unprecedented attack on the territory of the Hebrew state on October 7, during which approximately 240 people were taken hostage, according to the Israeli authorities, and 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians, most of whom died on the first day, according to the same source. Since then, Israel has carried out a devastating bombardment on Gaza, killing 14,854 people, according to Hamas.
France 24 / AFP
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