Jaime Stephens and David Bain are among the many Christchurch residents whose homes were badly damaged in the earthquake. Photo / Herald on Sunday
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The emotional trauma of living through Christchurch's devastating earthquake may not surface for weeks or even months, says a psychologist specialising in trauma management.
Many people would be in a state of shock as they dealt with the practicalities of making their homes safe and restored water and power, said
Joint Centre for Disaster at Massey University director David Johnston.
"But some of these issues can manifest themselves in the weeks and months to follow and there will be a lot of people who will need a lot of support."
Dr Johnston said most people would get over the trauma but some would need professional help.
"That could be a significant number in a large population. But time will be the cure of it for most."
He said the amount of support needed varied.
"Some people like to talk about this, some people don't."
For some it was enough to know a neighbour, friend or relative had offered help.
"The key thing is to let people deal with it in the way that suits them. So often it is not about making people sit down and talk about it, it is just being around and giving them support."
Dr Johnston said people often visited welfare centres to be in a social environment.
"Just having people around is a form of support, knowing there is someone nearby."
He said some people were not good at asking for help and one of the messages in a natural disaster was that "it is okay to ask for help".
Dr Johnston, who is doing research work in the United States, said if patterns of behaviour changed it could be a sign people were not coping.
"People who normally talk a lot are quiet, people who don't normally drink much, drink a lot. If there is a change in their normal activities that is a sign something may not be working so well."
He said people who did not want help should have their wishes respected.
For many it could take weeks for the signs they were struggling emotionally to emerge.
"A lot of people put on a brave face and they'll keep going to for some time until their own emotional and psychological resources run out and they hit the wall some time from now - several weeks or several months even.
"The support needs to be continuing and ongoing and needs monitoring for some time.
"Most people will come through fine, they just need help and support."
- NZPA
