Top military officials said yesterday that many soldiers traumatized by their involvement in removing the bodies of earthquake victims will require spiritual help to achieve long-term recovery and prevent them from suffering post-traumatic mental health problems.
"Besides regular psychiatric consultation, religion will probably be the most effective long-term way to deal with post-traumatic stress syndrome among soldiers who carried corpses of victims during the earthquake," said Minister of National Defense Tang Fei (-
Tang made the remarks at a public hearing at the legislature on the mental health of military personnel who had participated in post-quake rescue work.
"A total of 1,410 soldiers were involved in carrying corpses after the quake. Over half of them have been through mental and physical checks-ups designed specially for them," Tang said.
"So far, only 11, or 1.4 percent, of the soldiers have been found to need treatment for post-trauma problems," he said. "Another 27 of them are under observation."
"The post-quake rescue work constitutes a war-like experience for the soldiers involved. It was an initiation for them," Tang said.
"We are now entering a `post-war' period. During this phase, we will attend to the mental and physical health of the troops," he said.
"We have prepared regular psychiatric treatment for post-traumatic syndrome. But for this to be effective in the long term, we must also look to religion for help."
To offer religious psychiatric therapy, the military has sought assistance from different religious institutions including the Fu Jen Catholic University (???j學), Cosmic Light Christian Association (|t宙光), the Linchiushan (靈鷲?s) Buddhist group, and the Chinese Muslim Association (??國|^?ETH>協會).
"Therapy will be provided based on the religious belief of the soldiers to be treated," said Ministry of National Defense official Col. Chang Pao-tsai (
The military's efforts will take their direction from the responses of troops who have managed to deal with the problem.
Army Lt. Col. Ma Ping-jen (
Conscript Wu Shao-fu (
"I was not frightened by the corpses. What struck me most was the grief I saw on the face of the surviving families of the dead," Wu said.
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