More than resilient
Haitians are usually applauded for their inner strength to keep pushing amid crises. But it’s important to understand that there is often grief behind their resiliency, according to Ms. Jean.
“Sometimes I struggle with that word,” she said. “When I say resilient, I mean they will survive. But we are talking about a traumatized people. I definitely believe the people of Haiti are a people that have PTSD. The Haitian people have not yet fully healed from the first earthquake. I don’t think there was time. And many Haitians are suffering silently right now.”
The trauma shows itself in various ways, said Wilford Marous, entrepreneur and founder of the Haitian Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain.
“I went traveling in Europe with some colleagues of mine to attend some conferences, and one of them, who is Haitian, refused to sleep in a building because he believed it was too high,” he said. “He still had this fear of the earthquake.”
Children are often most affected, Mr. Fitts said.
“They don’t know what to do with it,” he said. “Their parents are not there necessarily to give them the emotional support that they need because they’re just trying to survive when things like this happen. So, a lot of things don’t get addressed and they’re taught early on to move on.”
Hosean International Ministries evacuated 1,500 people after the earthquake in 2010, and 750 of them were kids. The group stayed on the charity’s campground, and children had the chance to continue their education through its school system.
“Kids had issues sleeping,” Mr. Lucien said. “They are dealing with the loss of their loved ones. Some of them lost their moms. Some lost their brothers and sisters. So, we had to work with them and try to get them through that process.”
The charity offered children and their parents counseling sessions to lessen some of the emotional impact after the earthquake.
Common trauma responses
But keep in mind that symptoms like depression and sleeplessness would be common for most people going through mental health crises, such as major natural disasters or war, said Guglielmo Schininà, head of mental health and psychosocial support at the International Organization for Migration.
“It’s important not to jump to conclusions with diagnoses for mental illness or disorders,” Mr. Schininà said. In other situations, psychological effects like these could be symptoms of mental disorders. But in this situation, these are just normal reactions.”
Alongside trauma from natural disasters, many Haitians are angry about the chaos in the country, given the number of resources brought to Haiti over the past decade, according to Ms. Jean.
“We should have had better infrastructure, better roads, lights, emergency plans, trauma hospitals,” she said. “The resources were there.”
The constant lack of safety and security within the country can have ugly outcomes, she said.
“A lot of the political instability, rebels, gang activity, and war within those in politics has been because oppositions feel that those who are in power have not done a very good job of upgrading the Haitian lifestyle,” Ms. Jean said.
Unity and public togetherness are key in times like these, Mr. Marous said. He suggests finding creative ways to promote widespread healing.
“Even if it’s trying to start some sort of healing process through the media,” he said. “Having someone talk to the population, even on TV, 1 hour in the morning. That might be a way to offer some sort of help to the population at large.”