The tragic Air India Flight AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, which claimed 241 lives, has left a profound impact on mental health, with a noticeable rise in flying phobia and trauma-related issues, according to mental health experts.
Dr. Seema Hingorrany, a clinical psychologist and EMDR therapist, and Kopal Rohatgi, Associate Consultant at the Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, share insights into the psychological aftermath and coping strategies.
Fear Of Flying!
Dr. Hingorrany reports a significant increase in anxiety among her clients, particularly those already seeking help for fear of flying. “Cases of flying phobia have definitely increased since last week, and these are my cases who were seeking help for fear of flying. Obviously, because of the incident and images that keep popping up, they feel they have gone back to square one – that they will never be able to board a plane,” she says.
Bandra-based Dr. Hingorrany has received calls from relatives and friends of travellers anxious about upcoming flights, seeking quick tips to ground themselves. “I know clients who have cancelled flights… They want to be sure that they are feeling okay… if they can postpone, they are postponing till things get better,” Hingorrany adds.
Dr Kopal Rohatgi echoes these concerns, noting heightened anxiety among flyers, particularly those with pre-existing conditions. “People are feeling anxious while flying, but most of them already have an existing anxiety disorder or have had issues with closed places… most of them are those patients,” she says.
Social media amplifies fears. “There are people who are discussing not going on a particular airline, but again, it’s not too much… It’s mostly because of the widespread hue and cry on social media.”
Resurfacing of Past Trauma
The crash has also resurfaced past traumas. “People who had lost their loved ones many years back in some incident or crashes are now talking about those incidents… all traumas are resurfacing,” Hingorrany explains.
Dr. Hingorrany emphasises processing emotions. “The first thing I always tell my clients is that let’s feel those emotions. Let’s give ourselves and each other a little time to deal with our emotions. We are not robots who wake up tomorrow morning, think everything is okay, and then it’s all gone. We need to pause and address the issue. In life, little distraction always works and talking to a therapist or loved ones will help.”
‘Stop Mindless Social Media Surfing’
Media exposure is a significant trigger, both experts firmly believe in. This morning, I received a call from an 18-year-old client of mine. She was surfing social media and came across these horrific images. We don’t even know if the photos were real, but due to the images, my client couldn’t sleep the whole night, and she called me first thing in the morning. She was panicking. Connecting this incident to her parents’ death… She took an hour to settle down,” Hingorrany recounts.
Dr Hingorrany advises sensitive individuals to limit media consumption. “Watching too much of it and continuously seeing, especially to those people who are sensitive and are anxiety-prone, should be avoided. You need to regulate your media watching.”
For trauma survivors, Hingorrany notes, “Being a trauma expert… I deal with clients who have undergone a near-death experience. One of my clients had lost her husband in a road accident. She developed PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). It’s a higher level of fear and anxiety. Physically, they are fit, but mentally, they always carry the scar.”
She urges mindfulness. “Your body and mind give you signals when to stop. When you are overloading your brain and you are getting anxious and trouble sleeping, please stop the media for a while.”
Rohatgi highlights the severity of PTSD. “PTSD is a severe condition, and it generally happens when you are facing a life-threatening trauma. It has a lot of hyper-arousal symptoms and intrusive symptoms. It is very different from regular anxiety and depression.”
She notes that not everyone develops PTSD, as it depends on “the personality of the person, mental state, how much stress they can handle, their coping strategy.” For those affected, “they would be required to take medication and therapy… which is focused on trauma.”
The experts unanimously agree that one needs to seek professional help from therapists for trauma or anxiety. Limit your news consumption to verified sources. Practice grounding techniques, such as deep breathing.
