Psychiatrist suggests path to recovery for footballers

By THE NATION

 

An ambulance arrives at a covered area of the Chiangrai Prachanukroh Hospital in Chiang Rai province, Thailand, 09 July 2018. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

 

Says they should be seen as victims of an unexpected natural disaster; urges society to give them space for rehabilitation.

 

THE ROYAL College of Psychiatrists of Thailand has offered guidelines for treating the 13 footballers once they are all rescued from the Chiang Rai cave.

 

Four members of the Mu Pa Academy Mae Sai football club were evacuated from the cave on Sunday, another four yesterday, and the rest were expected to follow soon. 

 

In an article published for the college, psychiatrist Ananya Sinrachatanant pointed out that the footballers were victims of an unexpected natural disaster over which they had no control. Professionals, with the community’s help, should provide the necessary physical and mental rehabilitation, she wrote.

 

There were lessons to be learned from the ordeal so as to prevent any recurrence, she said, adding that pinning blame and open criticism would only cause social disunity. 

 

 

Ananya suggested that the news media stick to factual reporting and avoid interpretations or speculation based on personal viewpoints. News reports should be presented in ways that benefit society, providing information about the rescuers and volunteers rather than sensationalising events, and should guard against violating anyone’s privacy, Ananya said. 

 

She urged the media to let the victims be medically assessed and begin their physical and mental recovery before pursuing them for their stories. Ananya also suggested that the youths and their coach be briefed about people’s reactions and responses across Thailand and around the world while they were trapped in the cave, but purely on a factual basis rather than an overly dramatised version.

 

They should be shielded at first from critical and sensational news and social media commentary and should not be repeatedly asked to recount their personal experiences, as that would force them to relive their traumatic experience over and over again.

 

The rescued team members’ families should also be given time to recuperate while being kept informed of their health condition, Ananya wrote, and have assistance for their own physical and mental recovery. 

 

Urging the boys’ schools and community to give them and their families ample personal space, she warned against portraying any comfort to given them as a form of reward, as that would confuse the youths. 

 

When the rescued group is ready to talk about what they went through, it should be handled as lessons in survival and avoiding disaster in future, she said. 

 

In no way should the youths or coach be scolded or expected to display gratitude – they will already feel guilty enough. Ananya urged people to moderate their news consumption and make sure a story is accurate before sharing it, and to avoid getting too emotional, either negatively or positively. 

 

The main takeaways should be in reflecting over what happened and avoiding recurrence and in teaching children how to survive in unexpected crises, to solve problems and to work as part of a team.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30349691

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-07-10

That should also be said of their young coach. At first yes I did blame him. However he may actually be the accidental saviour for the boys. To keep them alive and well for 10 days in darkness, wow. Before he is drawn and quartered lets hear what happened. I saw a post where the quote was charges to be laid. The outgoing Governor should adjudicate this matter I believe as he has the most experience in the rescue operation. Others are coming along to make a name for themselves.

I sincerely don't think much needs to be done. Just let them all have a warm shower and a bowl of tom yam. Less is more in my opinion, but we all know that aint gonna happen, there are political points to be scored here. 

21 minutes ago, Chris Lawrence said:

That should also be said of their young coach. At first yes I did blame him. However he may actually be the accidental saviour for the boys. To keep them alive and well for 10 days in darkness, wow. Before he is drawn and quartered lets hear what happened. I saw a post where the quote was charges to be laid. The outgoing Governor should adjudicate this matter I believe as he has the most experience in the rescue operation. Others are coming along to make a name for themselves.

 

The 'charges to be laid' (re the coach) has since been labelled as fake news.  Very unethical and even more important very unfair. 

 

13 minutes ago, utalkin2me said:

I sincerely don't think much needs to be done. Just let them all have a warm shower and a bowl of tom yam. Less is more in my opinion, but we all know that aint gonna happen, there are political points to be scored here. 

 

Plus there will be the idiots (found in all countries) who ask stupid questions like 'were you frightened'?, 'did you think you would die'? 'How many ghosts did you see? etc.

 

Most of these kids, perhaps all will likely have PTSD for quite a while. perhaps all of their lives, with flashbacks, etc.

 

PTSD is real is not to be taken lightly, I still have it from my experiences in the war in Vietnam. PTSD / flashbacks often also cause distress, depression, anxiety and severe problems with lack of sleep.

 

Idiot questions, silly jokes (but it's just a joke) definitely don't help.  

 

 

This is common sense. Unfortunately it is necessary to remind people (and media) about it.

Thailand has psychiatrists?....Who would have known?

3 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

The 'charges to be laid' (re the coach) has since been labelled as fake news.  Very unethical and even more important very unfair. 

 

A report was made in the Sydney papers and online this morning about this as well.

 

The Thais are doing a great job and making some hard decisions. What do you think; the corporate guys (Bangkok Politicians) may be coming in to try and take some of the kudos. I saw it reported in the Sydney Morning Herald that a couple were interfering? 

 

However sadder than this was the ferry deaths which received little to no overseas press coverage. I saw the pictures of the bodies being retrieved.

 

Just hope they get them all out.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

They should be shielded at first from critical and sensational news and social media commentary and should not be repeatedly asked to recount their personal experiences, as that would force them to relive their traumatic experience over and over again.

 

Absolutely right but... good luck with that ...

 

The media circus outside the cave gives a clear indication of what's going to happen next... I read that one thousand individuals (mostly media people) had to be evacuated when the final rescue mission started... drones were flown dangerously near a helicopter just to try and catch images... some reporters hacked their way into the army radio system and then carelessly revealed their loot for the sake of a 'scoop'... and the list goes on.

 

The Thai media expert who pointed out that not just the reporters are to blame but also the whole array of companies that cover and control them is 100% right, but in this field like so many others (environment, poverty, financial crime, etc), this 'dilution of responsibility' is the heart of the problem, and a defining feature of our times.

 

During 'phase 2', these poor kids are going to be hounded by all kinds of 'professional' media people who are about as ethical as a tiger is vegetarian. This is the world we have created. In which acts of generosity, selflessness, dedication and even heroism still exist, on an individual basis, and that's the good news. But it's definitely not the main trend, and that's an understatement.

 

 

If there were no media involved whatsoever, let's be honest, these kids would probably be slapped on the head as they came out and sent straight home. My point is that, the almost unbearable irony is that would be about 100 times better than what is actually happening and will happen to them.