Possible Psycological Reactions to an Earthquake

Ron Chambers & Lee Kannis

Anxiety Disorders Unit, CDHB.

It is understandable given the recent earthquake and ongoing aftershocks that many people may feel anxious and distressed. It is common following a traumatic event for people to experience a range of psychological responses. These may include:

• Feeling on edge, nervous, or tense.
• Sleep disturbance and nightmares.
• Being easily startled.
• Tearful.
• Swings in emotion, including irritability and sadness.
• Anxiety symptoms like a racing heart, rapid breathing, and trembling.
• Thoughts and memories about the event continuing to pop into your mind, even days afterwards.

Usually, these psychological reactions will dissipate over the following days to weeks as the mind makes sense of what happened. What is important at this time is to allow people to work through their experience of the earthquake at their own pace. For many people it will be enough just to discuss and make sense of the event with friends, neighbours, and family. For others, it may be not discussing it much but keeping themselves busy doing other activities. What ever the person’s style it is important to allow people the space to do this. It is best not to push people to discuss what happened if they do not want to. If someone does want to talk it through then let them do this.

An important concern people will often have is the reaction of children to such events. Children may experience some of the same reactions listed above. However, there may be differences in how these reactions are displayed. For example, younger children may be more clingy, experience an increase in bad dreams (not always just about the earthquake), loss of appetite, and have an increase in physical complaints such as headaches and stomach aches.

Suggestions for supporting children include the following:

• Be supportive and reassuring, your children may need to be held.
• Your child’s fears are genuine to them, this may include worries they may be separated from their parents and needing them close. Talk this through with them.
• Listen to your child’s fears and explanations about what happened.
• Return to some sense of normalcy, such as playing with friends going back to school.
• Regular routines are important, such as meals and bedtimes.
• If children are demonstrating aggression or anger then use a nurturing but firm approach, pointing out their behaviour is not acceptable.
• Explain what you know about the disaster.  You may need to do this more than once.
• Your child may want to re-enact or draw pictures about the earthquake, this is okay.

If people are experiencing significant distress and it is not beginning to reduce within two to three weeks then more specialised support from a mental health professional may be recommended. In the first instance people should contact their GP for advice on how to access appropriate help.

The earthquake and ongoing after shocks have been a very frightening experience for everyone. What most people are experiencing now is the minds normal response to this extraordinary event.

For further information please contact: Michele Hider, Communications Manager, Canterbury District Health Board, Ph: 027 531 4796