Victims of calamities suffer from 'second disaster'

BOHOL, Philippines – Victims of calamities sometimes suffer from a "second disaster" brought about by "well-meaning helpers," the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday.

Dr. Ivanhoe Escartin, National Center for Health Promotion director, said the "rapid influx of well-meaning helpers who must be fed and sheltered" could be detrimental to victims.

"They can add to the confusion and to the competition for scarce resources," he said.

Escartin underscored the need to coordinate the efforts of rescue, relief and rehabilitation teams going to disaster sites.

In some instances, "poor people" from areas not affected by calamity flood into a disaster area "seeking their own share of the food and other supplies relief agencies are providing to disaster victims," he said.

A psychiatrist, Escartin said "psychosocial intervention" is an important aspect of a response system because it helps the victims get back on their feet.

"The most common psychological effect of a disaster is sleeplessness... For many sleep is disturbed by nightmares, the waking hours by flashbacks in which they feel as if the disaster is happening all over again," he said.

Others fall into "chronic grief, depression and anxiety" while a few "begin to abuse drugs or alcohol."

Ninety percent or more of the victims can exhibit some untoward psychological effects in the hours immediately following a disaster. 

"By twelve weeks after the disaster, however, 20-50 percent or even more may still show significant signs of distress. (Some) 25 percent or more of the victims may still show significant symptoms while others, who had previously been free of symptoms, may first show distress a year or two after the disaster," he said.

During a stress debriefing, victims are usually encouraged to talk about their experience and what they feel towards a disaster to help them accept and overcome their ordeal.

The other form of "second disaster" is the victims' "loss of privacy, loss of community, loss of independence, loss of familiarity with the environment and loss of certainty with respect to the future."

"Among couples, they can no longer have intimate moments so it is really an issue... Sometimes in disasters you will find new leaders. Sometimes, it is not the politicians but those from the religious (groups)," he said.

Escartin said it is not only those who have been directly affected by disasters that can be considered victims.

"Secondary victims" suffer from "secondary trauma."  

These are the "families of those directly affected, onlookers and observers, and relief workers - both paid and volunteer - who may also experience serious emotional effects."

"That is the reason why it is also important for relief workers to undergo stress debriefing because they tend to absorb (the burden)," he said.