An eight year-old girl from Kathmandu was rushed to Kanti Children\u2019s Hospital, Maharajgunj after she stopped sleeping in the night and remained anxious all the time. Doctors attending the patient said that the girl had been telling her parents to leave the house, fearing someone could set it on fire.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe girl\u2019s parents complained that she screams and cries even when they go to the washroom and close the door,\u201d said Dr Arun Kunwar, child and adolescent psychiatrist. \u201cHer parents worried that even small sounds or noise of people talking nearby makes her fearful. The girl also feared going to school.\u201d<\/p>\n
As many people across the country have been still in shock over deaths and devastation triggered by last week\u2019s Gen Z protest, this has become a common refrain among hundreds of children and adolescents, who were taken to hospital for treatment or kept at home despite having problems. <\/p>\n
According to the latest count, at least 74 people have been confirmed dead and over 1,800 injured in the protest launched by youths against rampant corruption and social media ban, after the toll rose with more deaths among the injured and bodies were found in burnt buildings. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe number of children and adolescents having mental health issues triggered by last week\u2019s Gen Z protest have increased significantly in our hospital,\u201d said Kunwar. \u201cMany patients have acute stress reactions, which cause insomnia. We have also prescribed sleep medication to some patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
Problems are more serious among those, who were already having mental health issues. Many people were shocked when they saw the terrifying scenes of the mayhem on social media or television, last week. Doctors say some of the children and adolescents had seen devastation on their own, and some had even taken part in the protest.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the patient\u2019s friends died in the incident,\u201d said Dr Basudev Karki, a consultant psychiatrist at Nepal Mental Hospital. \u201cThe patient had suicidal thoughts and complained that there is no point in living.\u201d<\/p>\n
Most patients have sought treatment at the hospital\u2019s outpatient department, some have visited private clinics. Doctors and mental health experts the Post talked to said that most patients suffer from sleep disorders. They recount the incidents repeatedly and get worried about the repetition of the incident. Some feared leaving home or going to school.<\/p>\n
\u201cA 16 year-old girl has been brought to our emergency at present, and she is also disturbed by last week\u2019s incident,\u201d said Karki. \u201cWe have been teaching relaxation techniques and prescribing sleep medication to others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Experts\u2014psychologists and psychiatrists\u2014say the flare-up of mental health issues in the aftermath of major disasters is a common phenomenon. They alerted the authorities concerned to the risks and called for timely measures to address them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rise of mental health problems in the aftermath of disasters is an obvious occurrence, not only in Nepal but everywhere,\u201d said Dr Karki. \u201cSo the agencies concerned should prepare for it.\u201d<\/p>\n