CRI听力:Psychiatrist Advises Caution in Treating Brussels Victims

The shock and trauma of going through events like those in Brussels from earlier this week is undeniable.

But the Royal College of Psychiatrists in London argues that most of those who were involved will not have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.

Professor Sir Simon Wessely is the institution's president. He says treating people as though they are ill may backfire when approaching a situation like that in Brussels.

" The studies have shown if you do these things too early, if you go around saying immediately, how was it for you? how did you feel? what was it like? etc and the kind of emotional debriefing as we used to call it, that actually intensifies the feelings of fear, anxiety and trauma and later on actually leads to worse psychiatric problems than the opposite. "

Wessely says people who have been through trauma are in fact much more resilient than the authorities might expect.

He argues the best way to prevent long term psychological damage is to keep people informed and supported.

"Give people information, tell them what happened. Are they now safe? how's their family absolutely critical. We showed after the London bombs, people who could not get through to their family, not only were they were they more distressed then, you would expect that, but six months later they were still more distressed than those who'd been able to make quick contact with their relatives."

Wessely has led studies investigating the long term effects of the 2005 bombings on people in London.

In the aftermath of previous bombings some people claimed to have PTSD, an illness suffered by many in the armed forces.

Wessely argues doctors and other medical professionals often incorrectly diagnose the disorder.

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a lot talked about. It's a very specific psychiatric disorder and it's quite serious. It does not affect everybody who's been involved in trauma. "

Armed police and soldiers can be seen on the streets of Belgium, while locals are trying to get back to normal.

On the streets of London, which went through similar events in 2005, people are sympathizing with their Brussels counterparts. But they say they are determined to live as normally as possible.

"Europe's a great continent we've just got to enjoy life and stay true to what we believe."

"I think if you start to worry about it too much you'll never go anywhere and do anything will you? So, (shrugs)."

"If it's going to happen, it's going to happen, I've got every faith in our security services and everything. So we've been lucky up 'til now but inevitably we're going to... It's one of those things you can't stop."

According to Wessely's numerous studies, regardless of how traumatic an incident has been, people soon produce a "new reality" and adapt to a new sense of normalcy.

The psychiatrist reassures that the events in Brussels and the intensified security measures will not cause long term damage.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.