The chemical waste incident in Tuzla, Istanbul had a negative impact on the people living in the region. Experts warned: Psychiatric patients should not skip their medication...
The chemical waste incident in Tuzla, Istanbul had a negative impact on those living in the region. Experts pointed out that social events can lead to traumas, attacks and exacerbations in patients with psychiatric disorders and warned that "Psychiatric patients should not interrupt their medications". Stating that when there is a serious trauma in a region, people may prefer to clash with each other instead of bonding with each other, experts recommend being careful about anger management.
In Tuzla, one of the industrial areas of Istanbul, a pungent smell affecting a large area due to chemical waste discharged into the sewerage caused fear and panic.
Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Psychiatry Specialist Mahir Yeşildal underlined that the incident in Tuzla had a traumatic effect on those living in the surrounding area.
Traumatic events can increase panic attacks
Stating that one of the few things the human brain cannot tolerate is uncertainty, Psychiatry Specialist Mahir Yeşildal said that the authorities should eliminate uncertainties. Noting that traumatic events can exacerbate psychiatric diseases, Yeşildal said:
"There is a concrete event here. There is a smell, there are various warnings made by experts about the substance poured into the sewage system. However, there is still uncertainty for people. Mentally healthy people can tolerate such uncertainty with healthy defense mechanisms. They can generally continue their normal lives and work, but in people with a weak psychological background or who are undergoing various psychiatric treatments, especially in people with anxiety disorders and somatization disorders, the possibility of poisoning itself may cause anxiety and somatization to become more pronounced. For example, we see very serious increases in panic attacks after such situations. We see very serious increases in somatization symptoms. These are the results caused by the psychological effects of these substances rather than the factors caused by the relevant substances, that is, people apply to psychiatry outpatient clinics with the fear of whether this substance will poison me, give me cancer, cause my death, or something will happen to my relatives. Whether the substance actually has toxic effects on the body is at least a secondary consideration for these people."
The tone of the authorities and the media should not cause panic
Mahir Yeşildal stated that the style used by the authorities is also important and said, "The authorities and the media need to be very careful about the style they use, of course, if there is a serious health hazard, they should express it in appropriate language and ensure that people take precautions. However, if it does not pose a serious health hazard, such issues should not be prolonged in the news just to be sensationalized and to carry a lot of news value."
Psychotic patients should be followed up
Stating that another patient group is schizophrenia and psychosis patients, Yeşildal said: "Imagine a schizophrenia patient who thinks that he is being followed, that someone will harm him, that people poison what he eats and drinks. When such an event occurs, he will accept this delusion as realized and a psychotic exacerbation may occur. Therefore, this is the case for the Tuzla region and the whole Anatolian side; I recommend that Community Mental Health Centers, especially in the Tuzla region, where psychotic and schizophrenia patients attend during the day, should be a little more careful about psychotic exacerbation in these patients and follow their patients carefully."
Medication should not be interrupted
Pointing out that there may be disruptions in medication intake after the incident, Mahir Yeşildal said, "When there is a rush in the family, in the neighborhood, people can disrupt many things they need to do daily. This can lead to not taking the medicines that should be used daily," he warned.
Rumors should not be ignored
Mahir Yeşildal also talked about how healthy people who do not have any psychiatric disorders should behave in such situations, "These people should first of all follow what the authorities say and should not rely too much on rumors such as gossip outside the authorities. Because rumors can also disrupt the mental health of healthy people."
Those in traffic in Tuzla should control their nerves
Pointing out that divorce cases increase after events such as earthquakes, Mahir Yeşildal emphasized the importance of anger management: "What does this mean? When there is a serious trauma in a region, people may prefer to clash with each other instead of bonding. Therefore, people who are in traffic in the Tuzla region, people who have stressful jobs need to control their anger a little more. They need to control their nerves both at home and on the street, and try to be calm. Because this is about uncertainty. The things that human beings cannot solve the most are issues such as uncertainty and death. We try to solve these issues by placing them somewhere in our minds. When this place we try to settle is unhealthy, problems such as anxiety disorder arise. In terms of people's mental health, the authorities need to remove this uncertainty. People should also not rely on rumors on the street."
Continue your life as it is
Psychiatry Specialist Mahir Yeşildal also gave the following advice for those living in Tuzla to protect themselves psychologically:
"When faced with a social trauma, the most comfortable method of coping with it is to continue life as it is if possible, that is, if the person is a teacher, he/she should continue his/her school without taking a report. If the person has children, they should send them to school. He should go and open his shop himself. If he/she is going to the market that day, he/she should definitely go to the market. It is necessary to ensure that this incident does not cause any change in their own life. Secondly, it is necessary to stay away from environments where these events are talked about in the form of gossip. Thirdly, some more time should be allocated for socializing. Walking by the sea and doing sports can be relaxing."