Indian American psychiatrists to help tsunami victims

Victims who are suffering from emotional illness will receive a helping hand from NRIs, reports Lalit K Jha

Realising that a large number of their countrymen affected by tsunami are in urgent need of traumatic interventions, Indian-American psychiatrists have decide to help them come out of this shock syndrome.

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Among its future plan include creating a team of volunteers in tsunami-hit regions, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, who would be given a special training by these Indian-American psychiatrists in tackling post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD).

"We also plan to set up a mental health clinic in the worst affected areas of Tamil Nadu," Malathi V. Koli, told Hindustantimes.com on behalf of these psychiatrists.

India-American psychiatrists have also decided to train primary care physicians, gynaecologist and other physicians in PTSD, depression and panic disorder to diagnose and treat.

Details of the future course of action is being slated for discussion at a special meeting of these psychiatrists on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) in Atlanta beginning May 21.

In fact, at the initiative of three Indian-American psychiatrists, the association has set up AAPI Tsunami Traumatic Interventions (ATTI) to mobile resources and come out with a detailed project report.

Besides Koli, president of the Texas Indian Physicians based at San Antonio, the other two ATTI founding members are Jaganathan Srinivasaraghavan and Ramaswamy Viswanathan.

Koli who toured, various parts of Tamil Nadu at the invitation if Sewa International - a non-governmental organization -- as part of her field study to get first hand experience of the level of traumatic interventions needed in this part of the country, said: "There is an urgent need of it to start the treatment, otherwise it might be too late."

During her field trip to tsunami-hit villages, Koli trained about 80 volunteers in PTSD, depression and panic attack. "A large number of people are suffering from emotional illness," she said.

Unable to provide any official statistics requiring such a treatment, Koli said as many as 80 per cent of the people in tsunami-hit regions were suffering form trauma. Of these 13-14 per cent is in dire need of psychiatric intervention.

Referring to the fact that there are just 137 psychiatrists in Tamil Nadu, Koli said there is an immediate need to have a large group of trained people for traumatic intervention for the next two-three years.

Sharing her experience of her visit to these villages, Koli said: "There are quite a number of people who have lived along the coast all through their life but now they do not even want to hear the name of water." She personally treated about 80 patients at Nagarkolli

"It is humanly impossible to provide psychiatric care to such remote areas with only 137 psychiatrists who are by and large located in big cities," she said.

Giving details of the action plan, Koli said ATTI for next 18-months to 2 years visiting various tsunami-hit sites. The ATTI has already issued a request for all Tamil-speaking psychiatrists, councilors to register with it for its tsunami-efforts.

"We are also approaching various pharmaceutical companies to provide medicines at subsidized rates. We already have got some positive response from a few companies," she said.