After the Devastation, or Destruction and Deaths or War, or any Extreme Trauma………….

(noon. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

After some four decades of activism and advocacy by many, many doing much more then I was able to do especially prior to this technology becoming so widespread, but ignoring by the greater majorities, finally the issues of life, and experiences in living, are becoming better understood and more are paying the much needed and long overdue attention, especially related to the children.

Haiti: After the Devastation the Emotional Wreckage

The scale of the earthquake devastation in Haiti is all but impossible to measure accurately now. Eventually, it will be reduced to hard numbers: so many people killed, so many buildings destroyed, so much wealth and infrastructure lost. There will, however, be invisible injuries too – to the psyches of the survivors. Emotional wounds may be the slowest to develop, but they can also be among the toughest to heal.

It may seem premature to think about now, but Haitians who survive the horrific earthquake will be at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The above leads directly into the following, where the list would be far to long and go back to the beginning of time, for the effects of extreme traumatic experiences on many has always been with us. It isn’t just the many, or even just the few amoug the many, it’s everyone who’s lives and thoughts have changed from what they’ve lived through or experienced individually or as a part of a whole group.

Americans have become increasingly familiar with PTSD in the wake of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, not to mention in the experiences of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – who have suffered such symptoms as depression, anxiety, emotional numbing, sleep difficulties, substance abuse and more. The Veterans Administration estimates that 7% to 8% of the U.S. population will suffer from the disorder at some point and 5.2 million Americans experience it in a given year.

In the extreme devastation of what happened in Haiti, and will continue day by day, it won’t only be the Haitians but those who are poring into that poor country to help as well, even if having similar experiences in the past. Their individual experiences, within the whole of the groups, will effect them all. Those helping will leave but the Haitians live there and will continue to, rebuilding Haiti and their lives, just like all who do so after the extreme change in what was and now is, with the memories.

Indeed, most people function remarkably well in the midst of a crisis. It’s only when the shaking or the shooting or the flooding stops that PTSD begins to appear. “The psychological impact doesn’t occur until several months later,” said Nicolas. “When things get quiet…you start to feel the impact and the sadness of the images you witnessed.”

That post part of the post-traumatic reaction is what so often takes people by surprise. The brain, however, processes fear in a particularly lasting way and once lessons about danger are learned they’re very hard to unlearn. Indeed, research that was coincidentally published in the New England Journal of Medicine the day after the quake shed some light on that idea.

Ultimately, though, the PTSD will show itself….>>>>>

Call me old fashion but I took one of the lessons of growing up, adults have a responsibility to those who come after them, in trying to be that responsible adult, with many faults like all, who want to leave behind a better world and understanding of for the children behind us. Anything I try and do as to activism and advocacy are for the present situations but more importantly for the futures the young will grow into.

Haiti children face ongoing disease and trauma

Children in Haiti face are incredibly vulnerable to injury, illness and trauma

Some of the most harrowing stories coming out of the devastation in Haiti are those of children, alone, scared and severely injured.

Under-18s make up almost half of Haiti’s 10-million population and aid agencies are warning they are at great risk from ongoing physical and psychological trauma….>>>>>

A few, an extremely few, will be lucky enough to be airlifted out for the care needed for their extreme physical injuries and possibly a start on the mental trauma but they will return and part of the rebuilding must take note that they all will need further care.

Injured Haitian children arrive at JMH, while injured U.S. citizens to land in Homestead

Two Haitian children, ages 5 and 7, were among the first wave of Haitian earthquake survivors that arrived at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s trauma center Wednesday.

Hospital officials, are bracing for many more — and Sen. Bill Nelson said Miami will likely be ground zero for injured refugees coming to this country…..>>>>>

I caught a report yesterday where they were talking to this soldier, she’s one of them, this is her first deployment since joining. The little stories, and there are many, that come out, like rescues etc., help in easing the trauma that surrounds everyone and one like this will be especially helpful for the children she will come into contact with, but those numbers will be few in the many living the experience.

Haiti mission is personal for some soldiers

A crowd of Haitians started cheering when Pfc. Berlinda Olivier spoke to them in their own language, Haitian Creole.

Olivier’s first sergeant told her not to get the crowd excited.

She replied, “First sergeant, I didn’t say anything to get them excited. All I did was start speaking”…..to the article writeup

PFC Berlinda Olivier’s first deployment with the 82nd Airborne is bittersweet.

That small storyline is a good way to close this out as each day goes into the next then into the weeks and then the months and years after, of many many many small individual stories.