Healing their battered souls

Psychological doctors are needed to help victims cure the hurts in their minds, says an article in People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:

In every quake-struck region, Premier Wen Jiabao kept encouraging the victims. "If the survivors can live a happy life, it is the best way to comfort those dead," said Wen. "We can repair and rebuild those houses that were struck down by the quake. As long as the lives can be saved, we are sure to overcome the difficulties and win the campaign over this massive disaster."

The sudden earthquake not only incurred heavy physical losses for the people in the quake-struck areas, but also seriously hurt them psychologically. The woes over the loss of their family members, relatives and friends, the worries about the damage of their houses, and the memory of the cruelty of the earthquake all linger in their minds. As the experts with the World Health Organization pointed out, psychological crises can bring deeper and more lasting harm to the people than any other disaster. The psychological problem plagued the children in the tsunami-hit areas right after the disaster occurred in Indonesia. About 10 percent of the survivors contracted the post-traumatic stress disorder after the Tangshan earthquake in 1976.