For some Lebanese, the time stopped at 6:07 pm on August 4, 2020. A history that still affected the mental health of the Lebanese, but the explosion that killed more than 200 martyrs, and more than 6000 wounded, left a large number of children and adults in a state of shock as they felt psychological exhaustion, insecurity and confusion regarding how to cope with the criminal and painful event.
In this context, university professor and president of the Lebanese Psychiatric Association, Joseph Khoury, confirmed in an interview with vdlnews, “It is important to know that what happened on August 4, 2020 is not an accident that goes unnoticed by any country or any city, even in the best conditions.”
Khoury considered that “we are in our best condition and in a somewhat peaceful situation, and a city is blown up, a large number of citizens die and others are injured, so this shock affects any citizen, much less our situation in Lebanon.”
He pointed out that “the Lebanese were suspicious of their public safety in Lebanon, and following the explosion, fear, terror and anxiety became permanent for them.” He continued: “This concern will remain until the Lebanese reach answers to the questions that revolve in his head, because it is not logical to continue with our lives without reassuring the Lebanese that what happened will not be repeated once more and will make the way in which the Lebanese recover very difficult.”
He stressed, “We know that any problem that passes following several years, the citizen can get out of it, but in Lebanon there is no reassurance regardless of the problems we are going through. The succession of shocks makes the psychological and social situation of the Lebanese very bad.”
In addition, he pointed to a broader impact of the successive crises on the recovery of the Lebanese and their ability to recover, noting that “doctors specialized in psychotherapy, some of them emigrated, and others are not prepared and trained to deal with these cases.”
He said: “After the studies we conducted on the August 4 explosion, it was found that 40% of those who were far or close to the event had symptoms and post-traumatic stress, and of course, the people who lived through the war in the past, the explosion was more difficult for them because any trauma New wounds open from past trauma, and this reaction was expected.”
On the civil war, the absence of healing and true reconciliation with it and its repercussions, he saw that “those who lived through the war felt that this stage had passed and considered that they were able to complete their lives, but not in reality. Through the news, photos, films and stories of his family, he lives in constant anxiety because he considers that at any moment he is threatened.”
He continued: “It was also found in the studies we conducted that things would have been easier for the new generation if they lived in a natural country in which the criminal would be held accountable. If accountability was present, he might have accepted the situation and coexisted with it despite all the losses.”
He believed that “what made matters worse was the talk regarding the possibility of a civil war.” He added: “This talk creates an incentive to emigrate and escape from the Lebanese reality. The crises are interlinked and we cannot separate them. What is required is that there should be people who secure the necessities of life and help this generation get out of this fear that lives within it. We also need people who have a key role in reassuring and helping the Lebanese people.” out of his mental state.
Therefore, the Lebanese citizen is not protected from psychological trauma or its consequences, and may be affected by what is known as “post-traumatic stress disorder”, at every moment he is exposed to a calamity similar to the August 4 explosion. How can the Lebanese protect himself from all these shocks that always accompany him?
A question repeated by every Lebanese who lives through successive crises in a country that is accustomed to falling asleep on one shock and waking up with another.
