KOSOVO SURVIVORS SUFFERING FROM HORRIBLE STRESS
MUNCIE, Ind. -- For the hundreds of thousands of refugees from Kosovo crammed into temporary shelters in Albania, psychological damage may last for years, says a Ball State University psychologist.
Many survivors are in shock from having to flee their homes, losing family members to death squads, as well as leaving behind their pets and belongings. The ethnic Albanians living in squalid refugee camps need plenty of psychological assistance in addition to food, water and shelter, said Robert Hayes, a counseling psychology professor.
"It is very important for these people to have psychological help available to them, but it may not be the highest priority right now," he said. "Staying alive is the challenge at this time. Treating emotional and traumatic reactions is at another level."
Hayes believes that some survivors will suffer from post- traumatic stress syndrome as a result of the war, causing them to suffer emotional problems years and even decades in the future.
Post-traumatic stress disorder refers to behaviors exhibited as a reaction to a past trauma. Reactions may include panic attacks, flashbacks and nightmares, an inability to enjoy oneself without feelings of guilt, feeling emotionally numb, and having an overwhelming urge to run away.
"Most will be able to continue on with their lives as time goes on," he said. "However, 5 to 10 percent will probably suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders. It can only be helped by extensive therapy."
Over the last five years, Hayes has been a member of the Red Cross Disaster Mental Health program, offering counseling to survivors and relief workers of the Oklahoma City bombing, California earthquakes, Florida hurricanes and Midwestern floods and tornadoes.
Hayes believes the refugees fleeing Kosovo from their Serbian aggressors in recent weeks face emotional problems totally different than their counterparts who lived through natural disasters.
"In a natural disaster, people help each other and there is a logical explanation for the losses," he said. "In war, there are people causing the pain and trauma. There is someone to blame and to hate."
Hayes also believes many relief workers in Albania will suffer from stress, fatigue and secondary traumatization from dealing with thousands of refugees on a daily basis.
"We have learned that ongoing defusing and debriefing is important to keep relief workers from burning out," he said. "Such interventions are needed immediately and continuing in the future to help prevent post traumatic shock disorder."
(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Hayes at [email protected] or at (765) 285-8042. For more stories visit the Ball State University News Center at http://www.bsu.edu/news on the World Wide Web.)
Marc Ransford 4/26/99
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