Book contents
- Lessons Learned in Disaster Mental Health: The Earthquake in Armenia and Beyond
- Frontispiece
- Lessons Learned in Disaster Mental Health: The Earthquake in Armenia and Beyond
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Dedication
- Preface
- Contributors
- Chapter 1 The 1988 Spitak Earthquake in Armenia and the Implementation of the Psychiatric Outreach Program
- Chapter 2 Diaspora Therapists Working in the Earthquake Zone
- Chapter 3 Treatment Outcome among Early Adolescents Two Decades Post-Earthquake
- Chapter 4 Course and Predictors of PTSD and Depression among Not Treated Children and Adolescents over Two Decades
- Chapter 5 Conscience, Moral Injury, and Psychopathology
- Chapter 6 Natural Disasters and Relocation
- Chapter 7 Long-Term Course of PTSD and Depression Among Adults, Mediating and Moderating Factors in Recovery, and Current Trends for Treatment
- Chapter 8 How the Spitak Earthquake Contributed to our Understanding of the Genetics of PTSD and Associated Disorders
- Chapter 9 Epidemiology of Disasters and the Spitak Earthquake
- Chapter 10 Traumatic Stress Conceptual Framework
- Chapter 11 Memoirs of the Spitak Earthquake
- Chapter 12 Lessons Learned from the Spitak Earthquake and Other Catastrophic Disasters
- Index
- Plate Section (PDF Only)
Chapter 11 - Memoirs of the Spitak Earthquake
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 May 2022
- Lessons Learned in Disaster Mental Health: The Earthquake in Armenia and Beyond
- Frontispiece
- Lessons Learned in Disaster Mental Health: The Earthquake in Armenia and Beyond
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Dedication
- Preface
- Contributors
- Chapter 1 The 1988 Spitak Earthquake in Armenia and the Implementation of the Psychiatric Outreach Program
- Chapter 2 Diaspora Therapists Working in the Earthquake Zone
- Chapter 3 Treatment Outcome among Early Adolescents Two Decades Post-Earthquake
- Chapter 4 Course and Predictors of PTSD and Depression among Not Treated Children and Adolescents over Two Decades
- Chapter 5 Conscience, Moral Injury, and Psychopathology
- Chapter 6 Natural Disasters and Relocation
- Chapter 7 Long-Term Course of PTSD and Depression Among Adults, Mediating and Moderating Factors in Recovery, and Current Trends for Treatment
- Chapter 8 How the Spitak Earthquake Contributed to our Understanding of the Genetics of PTSD and Associated Disorders
- Chapter 9 Epidemiology of Disasters and the Spitak Earthquake
- Chapter 10 Traumatic Stress Conceptual Framework
- Chapter 11 Memoirs of the Spitak Earthquake
- Chapter 12 Lessons Learned from the Spitak Earthquake and Other Catastrophic Disasters
- Index
- Plate Section (PDF Only)
Summary
This chapter comprises three segments. The first includes excerpts from Dr. Ida Karayan’s diaries written during her service tours in the earthquake zone. Her diaries detail the daily challenges and rewards of working with children and teachers during the acute aftermath and over time. She offers, with absolute candor, insight into the emotional impact of her work. The poignant stories of Sahak and Gagik are remarkable examples of how a caring and competent therapist can help deep wounds heal. The second segment includes memories of the lead psychotherapist of the Spitak clinic, Ms. Pavagan Petrosyan. Before the earthquake, Ms. Petrosyan was an elementary school principal, living an idyllic life with her family. The earthquake killed her husband and destroyed their house. After a long, tortuous journey to Moscow and Tiblisi, she returned to Spitak and enrolled in the Psychiatric Outreach Program, and went on to become a prominent, sought-after psychotherapist. This is an inspirational story of a survivor who came out of her dark hole to help others in despair. The third segment provides memories of Liana Grigorian, a housewife from Spitak, who was nine years old during the earthquake. She describes her terrifying experiences of the earthquake when she was trapped by a collapsed wall and gives voice to current psychological scars that remain as vestiges from the earthquake.
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- Lessons Learned in Disaster Mental HealthThe Earthquake in Armenia and Beyond, pp. 179 - 192Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022