The DANA that struck the south and east of the peninsula last week left devastating images that will remain in the country’s memory for decades. From the first days thousands of soldiers are deployed of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), the three Armies and the Royal Guard. These professionals perform all types of tasks, from cleaning streets with neighbors to searching for and recovering the bodies of missing people. This makes the role of military psychologists essential on the front lines: those who care for those who care for the population.
Professionals who support troops deployed in flood-inundated areas they work in an unregulated manner. In this context, we do not have time to schedule therapy for them. They strive to offer them confinement and emotional release, so that they can express themselves freely, explains Captain Francisco Javier Estévez, an army psychologist.
Your job in these cases is to provide initial close support to these professionals. “It is not appropriate to do more complex treatment”explains Estévez. Their interventions are limited in time and it is very important that they adapt individually. “There is no specific manual,” he says, emphasizing the importance of respecting the space and understanding the particularities of each case.
The work in the affected areas is structured in two lines, specifies the captain. On the one hand, there is a processing center for responders where military personnel who need it can go. It is coordinated by Army psychologists already stationed in the area or nearby, but also benefits from the support of those who have arrived as reinforcements.
The other leg is a few telephone lines that all units have. If during work you detect someone who is anxious or who might be emotionally ill, you can use this to let them know. You can also call a military member personally for assistance. This system operates 24 hours a day without interruption, says Estévez.
The Army psychologist emphasizes that it is a big step for the soldiers themselves to call them to recognize that they are not doing well. “They have been raised to be tough and it can be difficult for them to ask for help.“. Therefore, another part of the job of these mental health professionals is to also be on the ground, to see them. “You talk to them, with their managers and detect if there is a need.” In Those times, even though they only work with members of the military, if a civilian approaches them for help, they assist them as well.
Currently there is work 25 psychologists from different armies in the affected territories, some assigned to this area and others arriving as reinforcements from other points, reported the UME. Estévez is one of those who was already there since he is stationed at the Bétera base (east of the province of Valencia).
Post-traumatic stress disorder
The assessment and level of mental health risk will depend precisely on the tasks to which they must devote themselves. Those who clean the streets and help neighbors empty their homes to get rid of furniture are not the same as those who work to locate and save the bodies. The latter are at greater risk of seeing their mental health affected, says the captain.
After a situation like the one we are experiencing, the most common problem that troops can develop is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), explains Captain Estévez. East “a somewhat delicate pathology”since it is not possible to know when it will be developed, reports the army. This can appear during the experience of this tragic context, but it can also occur after the process, even months later. “The person is blocked.”
There are other problems that they may also suffer in the line of duty, especially those who deal with the more unpleasant part and have to save dead bodies. This part is taken care of especially EMU staffEstévez explains. In these types of extreme situations, they may suffer from anxiety, depression or even be blocked by the intensity of emotions that this work involves. Fortunately, the psychologist explains, these conditions fade over time and usually don’t cause long-term problems.
Those who are responsible for cleaning tasks, even if they have difficult days and it is a very demanding job, do not see their mental health affected as much. “Those who are in contact with the population can even feel good”said Estévez. Normally, the military is used to acting abroad, as part of international missions. On this occasion, underlines the psychologist, feeling useful in your own country and seeing people’s gratitude can serve as reinforcement.
After the tragedy
Estévez acknowledges that the first phases of the tragedy are still underway. When the situation can normalize and the reinforcements return to their bases, the soldiers follow-up will be required with the psychologists of their units. This way they can ensure that problems, such as PTSD, do not arise in the future, or that they are resolved if they do arise. These professionals will decide the follow-up time for each case.
The psychologist from the Bétera base shows up particularly worried by troops already stationed in the affected area. Many of them even lived in flooded communities and lost their homes. When everything has passed, “they will have this closer and more continuous reality”.
The problem of mental health is less and less taboo also among members of the armed forces. Estévez welcomes the fact that the Ministry of Defense is working more and more to give visibility to this issue. Psychological strength lies in this open-mindedness: “You must know how to recognize emotional states and capacities, only then will you be stronger and more resilient.”
This is also reflected in increase in the number of psychologists within the unitsaccount. Currently, he explains, the army has “completely adequate” psychological care. The captain believes that the psychological care distributed on the bases adequately meets the needs. In fact, they have a higher ratio of professionals than the population, which Estévez justifies by the demands of the profession.
For now, all these troops will continue to offer their services to the people of Valencia, whether or not they are stationed in these areas. At their side, psychologists like Estévez They will give you help and support so that they can carry out their work in the simplest way possible. “As long as there are people missing, we will continue to be there as long as necessary.”
