The blaze at Wang Fuk Court has so far taken 94 lives, including a firefighter.
President of the Hong Kong Psychological Society Ephraem Tsui told RTHK’s Backchat programme on Friday that it wouldn’t just be households who were directly affected that needed help; others who were indirectly caught up in the disaster would need support too.
“Those in the disaster, the incident [will] suffer even more intense or longer. But those at the side observing, witnessing, just reading or looking at the picture, they can also be affected,” he said.
Dr Tsui went on to say even though most people can get over the negative emotions within days or weeks, one-tenth of them may endure a hard time for months, and they would need professional help in case they suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Adults should also pay attention to any behavioural change in children, as not all are able to verbalise their distress, he added.
Adrian Sham, a fellow of the Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists, noted that symptoms such as intrusive memories, anxiety, sleep disturbances, or feelings of numbness may indicate the need for professional support.
“If people experience very distressing reactions paralysing the life, the functioning, sleep. And if they feel the symptoms could not be reduced or weaned off for a certain period of time, like lasting for three to four weeks, this is an alarming condition that we need to seek professional help,” he said.
Dr Sham urged people to avoid spending too much time reading related news browsing images and footage that may cause distress emotions.
Clinical psychologist Eliza Cheung from the Hong Kong Red Cross called for more mental health support for responders, as it is also a very tough time for frontline staff.
While it is crucial to train up more professionals, she said educating volunteers is equally important as they can lend a helping hand when there are overwhelming needs during crises and emergencies.
