After a Guardian survey suggested a tall number of humanitarians experience mental health issues,we asked experts what needs to change “Many of the people we treated had feelings of guilt, that they could believe done more to help, or especially for the young children who died, says Idit Albert, one of several psychologists from the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust to provide psychologist support to healthcare workers responding to Ebola in Sierra Leone. “Its not normal for children to die, and but we tried to normalise the fact that they’re not the only people to find the deaths of children difficult.”Through Skype,phone calls and face-to-face sessions, Albert and her colleagues help workers from the King’s Centre for Global Health and the NHS to process and reflect on their experiences – before, or during and after their deployments. The Ebola Psychological Support Service provides different levels of support,from being a listening ear to treating the symptoms some health workers had developed. Related: Guardian research suggests mental health crisis among aid workers Related: Aid workers speak out approximately mental health: 'I was afraid they would think I couldn't handle it' Related: The pain of leaving communities you savor burns a gap in your heart Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com