14 January 2005
Dear Colleagues
The devastating effects of the tsunami in South Asia have
shocked everyone.
Some of you will have been directly touched by it; some may have
had remarkable escapes. The scale of the loss of life and injury
and the magnitude of the damage across such a large area has made
it a truly international disaster, which requires an international
response.
Our thoughts, of course, are already with the communities in the
countries affected and we have written to the officers of their
psychiatric organisations pledging our College's support. You will
want to know how that support can be made tangible in the coming
months.
Although public health and emergency interventions are the
immediate priorities, no one knows better than we as psychiatrists
the mental health consequences of this type of tragedy. The number
of those with PTSD or suffering from grief plus a wide range of
short, medium and long-term psychological responses will be many
times greater than the number of deaths and injuries. It is likely
too that some aid workers and other volunteers may be adversely
affected by the scale and the nature of the devastation and human
suffering.
We have a particular responsibility and ability to respond to
these needs. The College has formed a task force to steer our
appropriate and effective response to provide help with the
longer-term psychological consequences, guided by our colleagues
and sister organisations in the affected countries. We are also
working with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and
will contribute in any way we can to the World Psychiatric
Association's disaster relief organisation.
The Task Force, which includes representatives from the areas
most affected by the tsunami, had its first meeting on 11 January.
We agreed to focus on the following four areas:
- To gather and disseminate information about the progress of the
relief effort focusing on the areas relevant to the College. We
will be setting up a dedicated area on the College website to
disseminate this information.
- To follow and coordinate, where possible, the involvement of
College members in the ongoing relief efforts.
- To provide appropriate support by endorsing members'
involvement in relief work.
- To provide long-term solutions to training needs identified in
the areas most affected.
Our main means of communication with College members will be via
the College website; please email any relevant information you may
have to jcarroll@rcpsych.ac.uk.
Money will be only one aspect of all this and many of you will
already have made donations. If you would still like to give money,
there are details of how to do this on the home page of the College
website.
We will be asking for specific expertise and support from our
members when it becomes clearer what is needed. In the meantime,
our very best wishes,
Mike Shooter, President
Hamid Ghodse, Director of International Affairs