Horrible and heartfelt scenes of quake-hit areas and victims are creating stress and psychiatric problems in people. Electronic and print media should avoid to publish sensational reports or telecast such touchy scenes.
This was said by Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Hamdard University, Dr Majid Ali Abidi in a press release issued here on October 13. He said after reading newspapers and watching television channels, psychiatric problems were increasing rapidly.
During last few days, a large number of patients visited hospital and were suffering from various types of mental and psychiatry problems after constantly watching earthquake scenes on media. Seeing such news items and pictures regularly, one can suffer from disappointment, mental stress and psychiatric problems, he added.
At this time of trial, the whole nation is witnessing very crucial situation, and in this conditions, such news items and photos containing heart damaging feelings should not be published and telecast. However, at this juncture, moral of nation should be kept at high level, he maintained.
Dr Abidi said if media continued to telecast and publish such sorrowful scenes and news items, general public would suffer from mental problems beside disappointment and harassment in various sections of society, which could not be assessed right now.
The panic and harassment in general public was witnessed at the midnight of Tuesday and Wednesday, when few areas of Karachi felt waves of earthquake, which was of read on Richter scale at 4. Due to which residents of Defence, Clifton and Gulistan-e-Jauhar spent the whole night outside their homes amid harassment, he referred. Those people should be invited on television, who could encourage the nation, Dr Abidi urged.
Meanwhile, Head, Depart-ment of Psychiatry, JPMC Professor Musarrat Hussain disagreed to the thinking of Dr Abidi and said media was very strong channel to approach masses. "Patriotism will disappear, if people did not see such shocking scene of earthquake".
There is no objection on showing miserable scenes on television, "but theset must be solution-oriented".
He said that psychological shock of this massive calamity would surface after some time and some people might suffer from depression, nervousness and few might have nightmares.