Source: Radio New Zealand
Many of those stressed or depressed were already struggling before the war. methaphum/stock.adobe.com
Psychologists say their clients are reporting increased stress and vicarious trauma because of the Iran war.
Psychologist Dougal Sutherland said issues like the war and the price of petrol were adding to his clients’ existing anxieties.
”If you’re stressed out about things in life, then this feels like an additional burden, and has possibly a cumulative effect on people’s stress levels and wellbeing,” he said.
New Zealand Psychological Society president Dr Rebecca Wirihana said its members reported an increase in people seeking mental health support, especially from members of diaspora communities affected by the conflict.
”We are seeing cases of vicarious trauma… for whānau who are impacted here, who are experiencing trauma in the context of their own families on their own whenua from a distance,” she said.
“What often happens in those situations is that people experience symptoms of trauma, without actually having experienced the trauma directly. That doesn’t mean it’s any less impactful, and it has been reportedly and significantly distressing for some of our communities.”
Sutherland said technology could make the world seem smaller.
“We can be personally impacted now by events that seem very far away geographically,” he said. “One of the downsides of living in a hyper-connected world is that we can be highly influenced by events that are on the other side of the world, but they do have a pretty direct impact on us.
“We’re in this hyper-connected world, where it’s easier for us to see things, whether it’s on social media or on the news.”
Lifeline reported no specific increase in calls relating solely to the Iran War, but the topic was coming up more in callers’ conversations.
Samaritans New Zealand chair Greg Dearsly said its callers were often already anxious or depressed.
”Circumstances that are beyond their control can serve to increase that anxiety,” he said. “For people who have got anxiety, if you’ve got stuff that is high profile in the media, then that’s just a trigger for increasing their anxiety or depression.”
Sutherland said worrying too much about war, government policies and fuel prices could waste people’s mental energy.
“It’s good to sit down and actually spend 20-30 minutes focusing on a thing that is worrying you, and list out, ‘What are the things that are of concern to me, and then what are the things I can influence and what are the things I can control?’
“You almost get a shopping list around what components of this can you exert any control over at all,” he said.
“Just being able to do that can help give people back a sense of control, which then flows down to having a little less anxiety.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
