At least eight million people (nearly 30 percent of the national population) are believed to have been affected by recent earthquakes in one way or the other. Many have reported psychological problems as they struggle to come to terms with the sudden loss of loved ones (above 8,000 have been killed) or have been forced out into the open (600,000 houses have been destroyed). These are the people most in need of some kind of psychological support to help them cope with their enormous loss. But even in these extreme cases, only a small number will develop long-term psychological problems that call for medical intervention. Most of the others who felt Saturday's 7.6-magnitde quake, and the repeated smaller aftershocks, and have since been on tenterhooks in anticipation of another big one, will regain their psychological balance as aftershocks taper off. Human beings are amazingly resilient. Even during normal times, they are routinely assailed by potentially destabilizing events: death in family, job loss, poor harvest, bad business cycle, and any number of other things. But after a brief period of mourning and grief people usually regain their mental balance.What we must not do in these difficult times is try to somehow 'medicalize' minor psychological problems. We understand that many people are badly traumatized. Some of them might not even have been able to get back into their otherwise safe homes. But these are completely normal reactions to a crisis of such magnitude. It would in fact be unnatural for someone who felt Saturday's earthquake—the biggest in Nepal in last 82 years—not to be somewhat scared for their personal safety and the safety of their loved ones. So cut yourself some slack. It is not psychological counseling or psychosomatic drugs that you might need but a little time to heal. You would also do well to remind yourself that there are potentially hundreds of thousands of survivors of recent quakes who share your mental anguish. This is not to suggest you should not try to get psychological counseling (or even medical help in extreme cases) if you genuinely believe it will help you placate your tumultuous mind. By all means, please get all the help you can get. But also try to take comfort in the fact that medical literature suggests that most survivors—including you, most probably—of such traumatic events have no subsequent long-term psychological problems.
The problem for the worst-affected earthquake victims right now is not the absence of psychological support, but lack of food and shelter. If their basic necessities are taken care of, most of their psychological problems would simply vanish. So let us focus on getting basic necessities to people in far-flung areas who live away from motor roads and who are yet to receive any help, government or otherwise. Let us also focus on healing their physical wounds. Moreover, if our friends or family members are struggling to cope, let us lend them an understanding ear. But let us also believe in (and remind our loved ones of) the inherent, proven human capacity to bounce back from such setbacks.
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