The stress of the deadly floods in KwaZulu-Natal has been described by many residents as a reminder of the riots and looting across the province in July last year.
Many felt stuck at home, isolated from family members, unable to get to them and concerned for their safety.
In the aftermath of the floods that claimed more than 400 lives and affected thousands of families, those living on the east coast of SA are dealing with compounded trauma.
Mental health experts agree that KwaZulu-Natal residents have been through the wringer.
A study published in the PLOS Climate journal three weeks ago has revealed that people exposed to a disaster in their community are likely to experience depression in the long term.
The findings of the decade-long study of more than 17,000 South Africans, conducted by University of KwaZulu-Natal and international researchers, are consistent with systematic review evidence that points to the depression challenges for people exposed to “stressful and catastrophic events”.
Durban father Gordon Reid told the Sunday Times his mental health has taken a beating, especially after two colleagues died in the floods.
“One was a bright star and only 22 years old. His house got washed away with him and his parents in it. The second person worked closely with me. Her house collapsed in Westville. Her son and boyfriend were with her, all three survived the collapse but she insisted the others were saved first and sadly passed away before the rescuers could free her from the debris.
“I find my optimism has turned to pessimism by the senseless deaths and untimely passing of our colleagues. It is compounded by all the happenings of the past two years. First Covid-19, then the rampant corruption of Covid-19 funds, seeing friends and family battle through Covid-19 with their livelihoods being taken away,” he said.
Reid hasn’t sought professional help. “But I have been offered help from my medical aid scheme. My wife and family are my sounding board. I think I’m doing OK,” he said.
Ncumisa Ndelu of Umlazi reached out to a psychologist on Facebook.
“I asked for her help on Facebook because I knew I was not the only one feeling the way I was feeling. With the water and electricity outages, my family has spent a lot of money buying water and takeaways. These expenses were not budgeted for and really hurt our pockets.
Mental health experts were observing feelings of dread, fear, emotional instability and stress responses like hyper-vigilance, anxiety, trauma and other psychological symptoms
“In the first few days I felt like I was losing my mind — the devastation and the uncertainty about the return to normalcy. The hunt for water and food really affected me, my anxiety level was on 11 the entire time. It's been traumatic. Something as simple as going to the toilet is now a struggle!”
Durban clinical psychologist Nazia Osman said mental health experts were observing feelings of dread, fear, emotional instability and stress responses like hyper-vigilance, anxiety, trauma and other psychological symptoms.
“Last year, the looting created much fear and apprehension for one's safety since it turned into anarchy so quickly. Once again, the floods wreaked havoc overnight, bringing up similar emotions such as uncertainty, intense fear, and dread.
“The thinking behind anxiety is worry about the future, assuming that bad things are going to happen. Seeing such terrible things happen in such a short time would almost validate this catastrophic thinking pattern and feelings of not being safe even in one's own home. Home is known to be a safe place, and Durban did not feel safe any more, leaving many unsettled and discontent.”
Suntosh Pillay, a clinical psychologist in Durban, said natural disasters by definition are disastrous — physically, financially and materially.
“The emotional impact is enormous, but unfortunately our mental health system is not agile and swift, so the influx of new people wanting psychosocial services will add to our already strained and understaffed clinics and hospitals.
“I wish local government had the efficiency and foresight to rapidly employ teams of psychologists on short-term contracts in each of the affected districts in KwaZulu-Natal, and task them with designing crisis interventions to support survivors' mental health. That would be the ideal,” he said.
Clinical psychologist Rakhi Beekrum has noted resilience in her patients.
“Those I have seen have experienced acute stress reactions and severe anxiety after their homes and property were damaged in the floods. It’s interesting to note the resilience of the patients I have seen. It almost seems that having being exposed to significant psychosocial stressors like the Covid-19 pandemic and the July riots has prepared us to navigate stressors.”
However, she added, there are different emotional responses to a crisis.
“It is OK to not be OK. Do not compare your feelings to others or judge yourself if others seem to be coping better than you are.”
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