The Iraq Foundation received this letter from an Iraqi-American psychologist. The letter reflects on the psychological condition of the Iraqis during this ongoing crisis.
(December 29, 1998)
As an Iraqi-American and a practicing psychotherapist, I am concerned by manynew media reports that the people of Iraq seem to be apathetic in response toliving under a repressive regime and experiencing two wars and more recentmilitary attacks on their country. This does not explain the psyche of theIraqi people
I have lived in the United States since the 60's. I write from my ownprofessional experience as well as from close contact with members of myfamily and friends still living in Iraq. I feel an obligation to correct theimpression that "The Iraqi people are going about their business as usual" orthey are acting as if nothing is happening."
I hold a Ph.D. in psychology and a license as a marriage, Family and ChildTherapy. I am a member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies as well as the Red Cross Mental Health Disaster Team. I would like toshare some information about the reactions of the Iraqi people to theircritical situation.
The Iraqi people have been enduring and tolerating an insurmountable amount ofpain and suffering. They have been living under a repressive regime. Theyhave also been exposed to two horrendous wars, the Iran War and the Gulf War.Immediately, after they further experienced the intolerable sanctions for thelast seven years.
According to many reports that were published by the Harvard Medical Team,the World Health Organization as well as UNICEF, the sanctions have rendered adevastating effect upon the people of Iraq. It is estimated thatapproximately 4000-5000 children under the age of 5 die monthly as a result ofthe deprivation of basic essential food, i.e., milk, meat, or eggs. Inaccordance with the reports, there is a lack of medicine such as immunizationsfor their babies, aspirin, surgical tools, and even bandages to cover theirwounds. Their soil, air, and water are contaminated. Geneticaberrations have surfaced in deformed babies, some are born without hands,feet, mouth, or brains. The leukemia and cancer rate has risen by about400-500% since 1991.
The vast majority of the Iraqi kept hoping and praying for the negotiationsand bargaining to be successful to lift the deadly sanctions and to alleviatetheir pain and suffering. Many times they were promised that it may happensoon, and they felt the end of the sanction is near but indeed that didn'thappen! Their hopes, dreams, and belief in human decency in the universeplummeted. Many of their expectations fell on a deaf internal and externalworld.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), a psychological disturbance is resulting from extreme life events willoccur. Traumatic experiences that are beyond the human abilities will rendertragic management and coping.
Dissociation, compartmentalization of experience, identity shifting,memory-blocking, perception disturbances, ignored pain, andmotor function is calibrated in accordance with the traumatic experience. Thisis called dissociative phenomena. The traumatized person transforms thedevastation and reports a floating feeling above their injured souls "as ifthey are in a trance." Another phenomenon is called "psychic deadness." Theyfeel an "inner deadness," emptiness and meaninglessness. Untouched by theirexperiences, they act as if they are immune to the external world and what ishappening around them. This "inner deadness" becomes an intimate companionthat they can crawl into for shelter and safety.
Eventually, the human organism shuts down and becomes apathetic, listlessand hopeless. The organism protects itself from further assaults, abuse andsuffering. It wears a protective device to shield itself. Nothing effectsthem, they become indifferent, as if to say, "What becomes of us is none ofour business." A fatalistic attitude echoed in my ear, when they respond tomy shallow statement that "the sanctions may be eased," the loud protest Ilast heard from them was "Don't even go there, we heard it all, spare us theagony of waiting and hoping." They further murmured in a whisper that barelycan be heard, "It seems that even God has forsaken us!"
This is what we are witnessing today: bodies of overburdened, dissociative andpsychically dead people who are merely existing!