Guilt, anger, fear, flashbacks and nightmares are all normal responses to the trauma that returning Fort McMurray residents have experienced, says a psychologist offering free counselling to the fire victims.
April Nelson, a clinical traumatologist who has worked with military personnel, says people returning to the devastated city will have to deal with rebuilding their lives if they鈥檝e lost their homes or cope with guilt if they are among the lucky ones whose homes didn鈥檛 burn.
鈥淕uilt is a normal response,鈥� she told 麻豆传媒 on Friday. 鈥淭here鈥檚 going to be other feelings these folks are going to feel as they transition back into the community. There is going to be a sense of fear, there鈥檚 going to be, as you mentioned, guilt. There鈥檚 going to be maybe some anger in terms of how could this happen, how did this happen?鈥�
Residents, who have been arriving back to the evacuated parts of the city since Wednesday, may experience nausea and a pounding heart, sleeplessness, irritability and they may want to avoid going out, says Nelson.
Children who had to flee with their families through blazing wildfires may have an elevated sense of fear or experience separation anxiety.
鈥淜ids may not want to leave their parents鈥� side for a while.鈥�
Some residents will be worrying about loved ones.
Nelson said she met with a woman whose parents lost their home. She felt an extreme sense of loss and worried about how her parents could start over.
Nelson encourages those feeling emotional or psychological effects to seek help and to understand that the trauma they鈥檝e been through is an 鈥渁ssault on the brain.鈥� She recommends focusing on re-establishing routines from before the fire and on getting the proper amount of sleep.
Trauma can produce reactions that persist long after an emergency is over.
A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in 1989 found symptoms persisted for a year in those affected by wildfires in Australia in 1983. A Dutch study followed people affected by an explosion and found higher use of mental health services four years later.
Efforts by city officials and emergency response to welcome residents coming back are 鈥渞eally encouraging,鈥� said Nelson. Firefighters put up a large banner saying, 鈥淲e support Fort McMurray,鈥� for instance.
鈥淭hat in itself, that鈥檚 huge, when people enter into the city that they鈥檙e going to be entering a place where they know they are going to be getting the supports they need in order to move past this.鈥�
