Using the massive earthquake that hit Kobe, Japan in 1995 as a yardstick, experts say post-earthquake suicides tend to peak at around one year after the event.
Nine months have now passed since the 921 earthquake struck Taiwan, and psychologists warned yesterday that the risk of suicide among earthquake victims could be about rise.
To help tackle the problem, seven Japanese companies and the Reader's Digest jointly donated US$14,000 to Life Line International (LLI,
"We plan to cooperate with the Ministry of National Defense and target the soldiers that worked with the rescue teams after the earthquake for trauma counseling," said Lin Kun-hui (林昆輝), director of LLI's Kaohsiung operations.
According to LLI, there are over 1,500 such soldiers still in the armed services.
"We have to deal with the mental trauma that these soldiers still carry with them, but it must be before September, when most will have finished their military service," Lin said.
"Aborigines are another high-risk group," he said, highlighting the added complication that Aborigines face because of the lack of economic and social support they receive.
"We plan to work with the Council of Aboriginal Affairs to train Aborigines to become social workers and then serve the needs of Aboriginal victims," he said.
Both plans are still under discussion, but the defense ministry appears to be slow to respond, he said.
"We have already offered counseling to these soldiers and they appear to be fine now," said Chen Yin-wei (陳胤維), a colonel at the defense ministry's mental health center.
Chen said, however, that the LLI's plan would be welcomed if it were to improve the effectiveness in dealing with mental trauma if a catastrophe such as the 921 earthquake were to happen again.
The LLI also appealed for psychological counselors to be trained to deal with situations such as those that existed within the temporary refugee camps after the earthquake, focussing on treating large groups of people, as opposed to one-to-one sessions.
"The situation in the temporary camps was unprecedented for Taiwan," Lin said.
Taiwan’s Lee Chia-hao (李佳豪) on Sunday won a silver medal at the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England, a career best. Lee, 25, took silver in the final of the men’s singles against world No. 1 Shi Yuqi (石宇奇) of China, who won 21-17, 21-19 in a tough match that lasted 51 minutes. After the match, the Taiwanese player, who ranks No. 22 in the world, said it felt unreal to be challenging an opponent of Shi’s caliber. “I had to be in peak form, and constantly switch my rhythm and tactics in order to score points effectively,” he said. Lee got
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