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Psychologists and psychiatrists have highlighted the impact the ongoing Gaza conflict is having on people living outside the war zone and offered ways to cope with the tragedies unfolding as World Mental Health Day is commemorated today.
As part of our Speak Your Mind series, readers have been sharing stories about how they are seeing depression and stress being aggravated by images and videos shared on social media which report on worsening conditions as Israel continues its onslaught across the strip.
In a recent regional study, academics found that in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attacks, and subsequent retaliation described by many as genocide of the Palestinians, exposure to explicit accounts of war was correlated with insomnia, deeper depression and heightened stress levels.
The study titled Mediating effect of depression and acute stress between exposure to Israel-Gaza war media coverage and insomnia was conducted by a group of Arab researchers.
“In the last three months, I saw four patients who came in stating that they are facing a concern with what they are seeing and hearing about the conflict,” American Mission Hospital clinical psychologist Dr Feba Percy Paul told GulfWeekly.
“Now, most of them have a past history of depression or any mood-related affective disorder.
“Although they have been well and stabilised, but when they saw a news like this, it got triggered, and they are not able to sleep.”
Many of these patients reported feeling an existential concern during their appointments, as well as guilt over being happy, and other day-to-day emotions.
Another study, Empathic Engagement with Gaza: Dynamics, Impact, and Prospects conducted by Bahrain University professor Dunya Ahmed, in collaboration with Rwandan researchers, notes the risk of compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma.
“Overconsumption of news around conflicts can lead to ‘vicarious trauma’ or ‘secondary traumatic stress’, where individuals not directly affected by the conflict experience emotional distress from constantly consuming media about it,” Dr Feba added, clarifying that the condition is related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
“We also see compassion fatigue among individuals who want to extend empathy, but are now exhausted because there is no result from it, and that creates a high level of dissatisfaction in life.”
In the Empathic Engagement study, researchers note that this results in a diminished capacity to empathise due to emotional exhaustion, often accompanied by decreased motivation and increased cynicism.
“The ongoing conflict in Palestine remains unresolved, and this enduring situation has left many individuals, including my patients, feeling a profound sense of powerlessness,” Child Foundation Centre founder and licensed consultant psychologist Dr Mariam Alammadi told GulfWeekly.
“The long-term effects of the conflict are difficult to predict, particularly as we witness the daily suffering of the Palestinian people, which can evoke a range of emotional responses.”
To combat the immediate impact of vicarious trauma, Dr Feba suggests ‘the four A’s’:
Awareness
Action
Acceptance, and
Avoiding assumptions.
“Be aware of your thoughts - are you channelling your emotions or sticking to facts?” she added.
“Be action-oriented and focus on what you can do with the resources you have.
“Accept reality, know what is in and out of your control, and accept that the human race can be unkind, which can be very difficult.
“Avoid assumptions. Don’t judge others around us or assume that they aren’t feeling compassion to the same extent that we are, or make accusations against each other.”
