Trauma expert: Abducted girl needs a lot of attention
After the 18-hour hostage-taking of a four-year-old at Hamburg airport, trauma expert Sibylle Winter believes that the girl now needs a lot of attention and security, but also normality.
"It is crucial that support is provided so that the experience can be processed without psychological damage," said the Deputy Director of the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy at Berlin's Charité hospital to the German Press Agency.
Intensive support
However, it is also important to observe the child closely in order to quickly recognize and treat possible psychological disorders. The support and interception does not necessarily have to be provided by professional therapists at first: It could also be the mother or another close caregiver who takes intensive care of the girl and gives her even more attention than usual, said Winter.
Not every child develops a psychological disorder after a serious traumatic event. "Around 15 percent of children are affected," said Winter. For example, a four-year-old child could develop a separation anxiety disorder. It would then need psychotherapeutic treatment, according to Winter.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
The development of post-traumatic stress disorder would be particularly stressful. "If the child replays the situation over and over again for weeks and can't get out of it, I would seek professional help from a trauma outpatient clinic," says the head of the child protection and trauma outpatient clinic at Charité.
"Often, just a few hours of treatment are enough for the experience to be processed and stored to some extent," says the child and adolescent psychiatrist and psychotherapist. In the case of post-traumatic stress disorder, those affected have not stored the experience and constantly have the feeling that they are still in the situation.
The conversation
"It would also be nice to talk to the child again about the experience, to revisit it and put it into words," says Winter. The mother or another close caregiver can also do this if they feel able to.
"It is also important that the child gets back to a normal everyday life and routine. This provides security and stability," says Winter. It is also important for the child to attend daycare as soon as possible. There, however, the child must be treated as normally as possible so that it is well integrated and does not take on a special role. There are also daycare advisors who come to the facilities and train the staff for such cases.
Despite the ongoing vigilance needed to monitor for potential psychological issues, Sibylle Winter suggests that the girl's mother or another trusted caregiver can provide intensive support and extra attention to help her process the trauma. This intimate care can be just as effective as professional therapy in the initial stages.
However, if the girl continues to relive the hostage-taking incident repeatedly and struggles to move past it, Winter recommends seeking help from a trauma outpatient clinic to ensure proper treatment and recovery.
Source: www.dpa.com
