'Visuals of massacre can lead to post traumatic stress disorders'

The visuals of massacre like that of Peshawar attack can lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) in people who see them through electronic and print media or social networking sites.

Dr Maajid A Abdul, psychiatrist from Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Kashmir, said this during the 39th annual conference of Indian Psychiatric Society, north zone, was inaugurated at a city hotel here on Saturday.

“Person who witnesses such inhuman activity will definitely get affected, but the person living far, but accessing the visuals through any type of media could also be affected by such incidents. Thus, it should be the responsibility of media to draw the picture in a way that gives the message, not stress or fear to the audience,” Dr Abdul said.

Dr Abdul said the incidents as well as their visuals or repeated stories could lead to post traumatic stress disorders, in which a person gets fearful. Beyond a limit a person couldn't resist it due to which one gets vulnerable to psychological disorders, he added.

He said people in Kashmir were definitely getting affected by the terrorist incidents, as they were geographically near and could relate to the community of Peshawar in much better way.

He said, “We can't generalise the things, but many people in Kashmir came to me for help after such incidents. The scenes and description made them restless at times.”

Dr Manu Arora, psychiatrist from Government Medical College and Hospital Jammu, said, “Dramatisation and race to sensationalise the news may create panic among people. Thus, it should be regulated. The negative news should be to alert people, not to create panic or fear among them.”

Dr Manu said, “If we talk about the terrorists, they perhaps have been raised in the environment and culture where they don't think about emotions.”