Massacre in Norway triggers lessons in bereavement, grief, trauma and mental health
The massacre in Norway raises many points about mental health, bereavement, grief and trauma.
Let’s look first at Anders Behring Breivik whose actions resulted in 76 people being killed or, as we write this, unaccounted for. While it might have been legally judicious for his lawyer to label Breivik “insane”, using that word says more about prejudice than it does about understanding mental health.
When people retreat from the norm – behaving anti-socially, whether by withdrawing from others or behaving inhumanely towards themselves or others – it is often because they feel out of kilter with the world, or misunderstood by it, or because they cannot manage their emotions. This is not a defence of Breivik’s behavour (clearly extreme and exceptional) but it is an example of what can happen if mental illnesses are not recognised, diagnosed or treated.
While the majority of our clients are well-informed and self-aware, mental illness remains a taboo. Talking about mental health issues with partners, family, friends – or with colleagues at work – is not something everyone has the chance or inclination to do. Keeping concerns private does not often lead to extremes of behaviour – but it can cause significant shifts in behaviour or personality, turning people in on themselves. And that could lead to self-harm, eating disorders, mis-using drugs or alcohol, an over-reliance on smoking; it could cause anxiety, panic, stress, phobias, sleep issues. It can also affect behaviour and performance at work and relationships. Anyone feeling they do not fit in, that others are against them, or that they cannot cope deserves support and encouragement. Yet, as our human instinct is often to shy away from exposing what we think of as private weaknesses or inadequacies, support is often hard to seek.
The Norwegian tragedy also shows how others can be affected, directly or indirectly.
We’ve heard about the guilt that some survivors of the incident feel – that they escaped his attention or were just of out range so they lived but others didn’t. There is anger at the police – for taking what the public considered too long to respond to the incident, and for not having the right means to get their fast. Many who witnessed the incident were immediately traumatised and may remain affected by the trauma for some time. Some parents felt relief on learning their child was safe, but their relief was tinged with sadness at others’ loss. We saw the tearful response of the King and Queen of Norway at the memorial service, shocked and saddened by the individual deaths and by what was the country’s biggest loss of life since the second world war. And we noted the stunned expression on the Norwegian prime minister’s face as he took control of the incident, balancing his emotions with his responsibilities to set a lead for the country and protect its reputation as a tourist destination.
Paramedics who reached the scene described the people they found as traumatised. Those paramedics are likely to have built up resilience that helps them manage their reactions to traumatic incidents but they might need continuing support to maintain that resilience.
And we’ve experienced our own reactions, at a distance from the incident, trying to make sense of it from our perspectives, with many of us reliving grief at lives lost years ago or recently.
All of these reactions are normal – grief is a complex emotion even when a death or loss occurs naturally and is expected. Sometimes it takes an extreme act for people to notice the extent of their own or others’ mental distress – and to give themselves permission to seek help to overcome it.
If this traumatic incident has triggered difficult emotions, changed behaviours, or reopened issues you thought were under control, do get in touch with us for professional, therapeutic support. We offer a range of therapies including EMDR (recognised by NICE as particularly effective for recovering from trauma), CBT, hypnotherapy, psychotherapy and counselling - and often recommend a blend of therapies so each person receives the form of therapy that is best for them.
29/07/2011 | Posted in Psychotherapy, Psychodynamic therapy, Psychoanalytical therapy, Person-centred counselling, NLP, Integrative counselling, Hypnotherapy, Humanistic psychotherapy, Gestalt therapy, Existential counselling, EMDR, EFT, Counselling, CBT, Sensorimotor psychotherapy,
Therapy or medication?
Therapy isn’t everyone’s first choice of treatment. For some, taking prescription medication is more attractive. Others try both. Interestingly, a recent American study showed that the most effective treatment was to … give people a choice.
In a study of 1,000 people, about half were allowed to choose from a talking therapy, drug treatment or both. The other half continued with the treatment recommended by their doctor. A year later, almost two thirds (64 per cent) of the people offered a choice recorded an improvement whereas less than half (45 per cent) of those who had followed their original treatment did so.
For those who had a choice, talking therapy came top – one in three (34 per cent) chose therapy only and more than half (57 per cent) opted for therapy and drug treatment together. Less than one in 10 (nine per cent) chose drug treatment on its own.
If we think you would benefit from prescribed medication we will, of course, suggest you talk to your GP. Meanwhile, the fact that we offer so many therapies means we offer our clients a choice. In many cases, we take this a step further and work holistically, recommending a blend of therapies so every client is offered the most suitable treatment for them in their situation.
Having a choice – being involved in the decision-making process – usually means clients are more engaged in their treatment which is more likely to prove successful.
07/07/2010 | Posted in Psychotherapy,
How to spot a good psychotherapist
In the area of counselling and psychotherapy, there are around a hundred different codes of practice and complaints procedures in the UK. In recent years, there have been many attempts at working towards a central process for handling complaints but this was derailed last year, effectively ending the final goal of a national register for therapists. The vast majority of psychotherapists are genuine, however, the one or two bad eggs receive much publicity in the media and naturally give cause for concern to many clients who need counselling or psychotherapy services. So it is important to make sure that you feel comfortable with your psychotherapist and know what to look for. Here are a few pointers to watch out for:
- your psychotherapist or counsellor should welcome any questions and answer them openly and honestly.
- you should feel safe and secure at all times.
- everything in your session should be absolutely private and confidential.
- a good therapist should never judge you. At no point should a psychotherapist or counsellor ever react negatively to you, only therapeutically.
- take into account the psychotherapist’s qualifications and feel free to check them with the examining body.
There are actually few psychotherapists or counsellors who abuse the system, but by following these pointers you should be able to feel confident about your choice of therapist.
30/04/2009 | Posted in Psychotherapy, Counselling,
