Trauma expert: Abducted girl needs 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 on Monday.
However, it is also important to observe the child closely in order to quickly recognize and treat possible psychological disorders. Initially, support and support does not necessarily have to be provided by professional therapists: 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.
The development of post-traumatic stress disorder would be particularly stressful. "If the child keeps replaying the situation 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 do not store what they have experienced and constantly have the feeling that they are still in the situation.
"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 increased air traffic at airports, it's essential to prioritize the child's safety and mental well-being to prevent any potential crimes that could stem from traumatic experiences. A tragic example of this is the abduction incident at Hamburg airport, which underscores the need for heightened security measures in such high-risk environments.
Source: www.dpa.com
