Healing the wounds of tragedy
February 12, 2006 | 12:00am
Last Feb. 4, we woke up to sad news: Some 74 people were killed and 359 injured when a stampede occurred among the estimated 30,000 people lined up at the Philsports Arena (formerly the Ultra) in Pasig City, all apparently in a rush to enter the premises in order to watch the first anniversary of a popular noontime game show, Wowowee. Rescuers and volunteers from all sectors arrived at the scene but crowd control was so difficult, thereby slowing down the entry and exit of ambulances and AFP trucks to bring the bodies of the dead victims and the injured to different hospitals. There were a number of injured people brought to Rizal Medical Center that were declared dead on arrival. Perhaps, they, too, could have been saved had there been a swifter conduction. Sen. Richard Gordon, who headed the Red Cross volunteers with his megaphone, was of great help in facilitating the entrance and exit of the rescue vehicles.
It was heart-warming to see the bayanihan spirit still alive among Pinoys in such trying times. Help in the form of money, goods and services came in. ABS-CBN Foundation’s immediate announcement that they will take care of all the medical and funeral expenses of the stampede victims is indeed a great help and consolation for the families of the victims.
Who are the victims of disaster/tragedy? There are actually three types of victims. The direct victims are those who have experienced personal losses because of the disaster/tragedy. The indirect victims are the persons who have not experienced personal loss but can commiserate with the loss of the direct victims. Yes, you and I, dear readers, are indirect victims of this stampede because we were all affected emotionally by this tragedy. The hidden victims are the care-givers and rescue workers who provide relief and assistance to all the direct victims. For the stampede tragedy, the hidden victims include Willie Revillame, his Wowowee staff and artists and ABS-CBN executives and employees, the medical, military, government and NGO personnel and volunteers. They usually are not perceived as victims since they are supposed to be the ones who provide help to the victims. Hidden victims, considering that they are exposed to so much suffering and misery, may develop what we call a burn-out syndrome and so they may manifest with exhaustion and depression. The hidden victims having very little time to rest, relax and take care of their personal needs may start to feel some kind of guilt that they have not done enough or that they have some responsibility to the victims. They may even start to manifest the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder like severe anxiety and agitation. We have seen on television the psycho-social reactions of the hidden victims, the ABS-CBN family. The hidden victims will need psycho-social processing.
Some of the direct victims of the stampede tragedy had already been debriefed by the Red Cross volunteers, by some NGOs and by the TV network’s personnel. Let me point out, however, that a single critical incident stress debriefing is always not enough. Psycho-social issues opened up in a single debriefing session may be left hanging and will therefore require several follow-up sessions. If, after at least four session of multiple group intervention or processing, there are still symptoms of anxiety and depression, a referral to a psychologist for supportive psychotherapy or to a psychiatrist for supportive psychotherapy and medication must be done. The Feb. 5, 2006 Sunday mass for the victims of the stampede tragedy at ABS-CBN attended by almost all its personnel from the executive level down the line is a good example of the activity-based group psycho-social intervention. Another such activity is the offering of a one-minute silent prayer before starting a television show and this we have observed not only in ABS-CBN programs but also on other TV networks.
The framework of psycho-social intervention for a disaster or a tragedy does not end here.The following psycho-social processes are needed:
• Critical Incidence Stress Debriefing (CISD) is defined as a group session for ventilation and sharing of experiences, feelings and reactions of the victims during the critical incident (disaster/tragedy). Other strategies can be done and developed for the teachers, parents and children depending on the specific psycho-social needs of the community and on the phase of disaster. Teacher/parent modules for training workshops, coloring books and comics have been prepared and designed for the specific disaster where our team became involved.
• Multiple Group Psycho-social Processing (MGPSP) is the type of group psycho-social processing (PSP) being employed for children and adults who are directly affected by the tragedy. Persons considered as high risk are: [1] Those who got trapped in fallen structures, with or without physical injuries; [2] Those who witnessed a relative or a friend die during or after the disaster/tragedy; [3] Those who got displaced by the disaster/tragedy; [4] Those with one or more members of the family dead after the disaster/tragedy; [5] Those who had a prior crisis before the disaster/tragedy. All of those in the high risk category must be subjected to multiple group psycho-social processing. If symptoms of anxiety and depression are still present a month after the tragedy, referral to the professional therapist is imperative.
Praying is one of the usual and effective coping styles of Pinoys. We join the nation in praying for the repose of the souls of all those who died in the stampede tragedy. We will continue to pray for the survivors of this tragedy for their psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery.
For those who are interested in the training of trainors and facilitators for psycho-social processing, you may get in touch with Dr. Eleonor L. Ronquilllo, chief of the Section of Community and Social Psychiatry of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine of UP-PGH at 525-0803. You may also e-mail Dr. Lourdes Ignacio at lulu115@ibahn.net.
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