Kurukshetra War - Kali Yuga ping...
To be added to or removed from this ping list, please FReepmail Sir Francis Dashwood.
Posted on 12/06/2008 12:21:12 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Kolkata, Dec 6 (IANS) The tremors of the terror attacks in Mumbai were felt across India, with live television coverage of the 60-hour carnage. The terrorists have been vanquished but the imprints that the horrific scenes left on people's minds have led to a sharp rise in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, say psychiatrists.
'I got my first case on Nov 28, when security forces were still battling terrorists in Mumbai. Professional ethics don't allow me to name her so all I can say is she was having frequent panic attacks and was emotionally numb,' city-based psychiatrist Shraboni Chowdhury told IANS.
'It's not that any of her relatives or friends were in Mumbai at that time. She had the attacks just by watching the blasts and the sight of Mumbai's Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus after the massacre.
'This is not unusual...individual brains have different absorbing capacities. This 32-year-old lady's brain is hyperactive and she, knowingly or unknowingly, was fantasising herself as one of the victims,' said Chowdhury.
The psychiatrist said she has so far received seven cases where patients suffered from the after-effects of last week's terror attacks in Mumbai.
'Another of my clients is a nine-year-old girl who, after watching the terror in Mumbai on television, is suffering from PTSD. Thankfully, it's not an acute case but the girl is so traumatised that she is unable to sleep. Even if she manages to sleep with the help of tranquillisers, she shakes and wakes up in the middle of the night due to nightmares,' Chowdhury said.
'My daughter is unable to concentrate on her studies. Every time any news about Mumbai flashes on screen, she starts crying and asks, 'Will the bad men (terrorists) kill me if I don't study and top my class?' We have stopped watching news channels due to her mental condition,' said the girl's mother.
The child is slowly recovering after rigorous counselling sessions and medication, said Chowdhury.
Psychiatrist Indrajit Sengupta too has received four patients suffering from PTSD since the Nov 26 terror strikes in Mumbai.
'A young engineer came to me Monday with the complaint that he is becoming hypervigilant, which is always thinking a danger may erupt anytime and hence being alert and getting easily startled. He had remained glued to the television set throughout the terror drama in Mumbai. It is a case of PTSD,' Sengupta told IANS.
However, not all people psychologically affected by the Mumbai attacks are willing to take medical help.
Every time 81-year-old Paritosh Ghosh sees or reads about 26/11, he gets panic attacks followed by chest pain, headaches and fits of fainting as the massacre reminds him of 9/11 in the US, when he lost his only son.
'The 9/11 massacre killed my only son Rajarshi who worked in New York. I have still not recovered from that shock and now this Mumbai terror attack is nothing but a brutal reminder of the incident,' Ghosh said.
He feels distressed whenever remained of the trauma.
'My wife called a general physician when I remained unconscious for four-and-a-half hours on Nov 27. The doctor said it's a psychological problem and I need to consult a psychiatrist. But I don't want that for personal reasons,' Ghosh said.
In the most audacious terror attack that India has ever seen, terrorists struck in south Mumbai, including the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, Oberoi Trident Hotel and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, on the night of Nov 26.
The standoff between security forces and the terrorists lasted nearly 60 hours, during which at least 172 people were killed and 248 others injured.
***********************
(Sreya Basu can be contacted at sreya.b@ians.in)
Kurukshetra War - Kali Yuga ping...
To be added to or removed from this ping list, please FReepmail Sir Francis Dashwood.
The article’s headline speaks of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) AND Depression.
Aside from a single mention in the first paragraph, nothing further is said of Depression. Only PTSD is discussed (which makes sense: it is a stress-related illness).
It would have been interesting to see some discussion on the Depression incidents.
Thank you for the ping.
I really think this issue with terrorism in India is becoming something much bigger than what we have already experienced in the West.
We are powerless to stop it and regretfully many people in the West are too gutless to stand up. They may not have a choice before too long.
My prayers are with these people. Although their country may not openly accept my God as the Creator of the Universe and holder of peace and righteousness, I will pray for them because they too seek peace and individual freedoms.
I’m not a member of a religion, but a believer in prayer to the Holy Trinity to provide comfort to these people in need.
From watching Indian TV (NDTV and TNTV) I can see that this isue is not going away in their minds, even w/o another attack. I hope the BJP sweeps future elections...
Cable TV early this am, the ID channel, investigative discovery, well, all NYTimes: a story about Pakistani/Jihadist bomb network. That Pakistani Ph.D. who studied in the Netherlands, stole atomic secrets, then built the bomb for Pakistan and sold parts/plans/knowhow to the rest of the Islamic world and North Korea. Evidently the CIA dropped the ball in the 80’s, although they knew what he was up to, didn’t arrest him, and he escaped. They never dreamed he’d set up an underground network, like a Wal-Mart for buying expertise and parts for a cheap bomb.
And the NYTimes blames, guess who...GWBush! What with 9/11, we had too much on our plate to nab Dr. Death. More bad news: The Saudi’s are now thinking about building the bomb. I couldn’t bear to watch any more since the Saudi’s bought the US Presidency for Obama, after nurturing him through Harvard Law, etc.. We’re being Jihadized by stealth. They’re taking over this country, inch by inch. We’re frogs in a pot of cold water.
People will experience this after such a horrific occurrence. I certainly do feel for them, having suffered panic attacks years ago. It’s the most helpless feeling in the world, and no-one, you feel, can help. It’s just sheer terror. I’ll continue to pray for the people of India and pray for peace-of-mind, comfort, and strength.
I hope BJP does so as well.
I hope Britain also gets their act together and BNP wins there. The BNP and BJP may be able to form some sort of accord with each other.
There is an affinity many British and Indians have for each other despite the past.
Not all of the British treated Indians badly... Churchill fought the Muslim Pathans in Northern India and was resolved to protect India at all costs against a Japanese invasion in WWII.
Brits and Indians do need each other.
I would like more information on Indian politics - if you or anyone else discusses that, could you ping me?
Do you know how soon the elections are, and any other details? Are the governors of the states (if they are called governors) being elected too?
I don’t really know much of anything about Indian governance, but I’d like to.
My short answer would be the Congress party are the liberals/socialists, and the Bharat Janat Party (BJP; Indian People's Party) are the conservative, God-fearing nationalists. But there are so many other regional and tribal parties --- its a real mess.
Thank you - I had figured that the Bharat Janat Party are the good guys, and the Congress party are the bad guys.
I am hoping some Indian members will chime in about this.
India was once smaller kingdoms, ruled by an overseeing emperor (as I’m sure you know), maybe that would be the best governance eventually. There is so much difference there, of coures the Muslim thing really is a monkey wrench in the works.
It will take a long time for those suffering such attacks, to recover.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.