Shevchenko Scientific Society and UMANA address stress disorders in U.S. and Ukraine (06/15/03)

Shevchenko Scientific Society and UMANA address stress disorders in U.S. and Ukraine

NEW YORK - The Shevchenko Scientific Society jointly with the New York Metropolitan Chapter of the Ukrainian Medical Association of North America (UMANA) on April 12 hosted a program of two lectures examining stress and its management. The program was initiated by Dr. Lesia Kushnir, president of the UMANA Chapter.

First to speak was Dr. Marta Maczaj, an associate professor of clinical psychiatry and behavioral science with the department of psychiatry at University Hospital at Stony Brook, a part of State University of New York. She is also the director of both the Center for the Study of Sleep and Walking and of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship Training Program there.

Dr. Maczaj lectured on post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), which according to a survey by the American Psychiatric Association affects about 8 percent of the U.S. population at some point in life with the incidence twice as high for women than for men. During wartime PTSD has been known under various labels, such as "soldier's heart" in the Civil War, "shell shock" in World War I, and "combat neurosis" or "operational fatigue" in World War II. PTSD was experienced by 35 percent of Vietnam War veterans and by 75 percent of concentration-camp survivors.

According to Dr. Maczaj, trauma can be caused also by such experiences as serious accidents, natural disasters, the loss of a loved one, criminal assault, rape, abuse as a child, being a hostage or a refugee, as well as witness of a traumatic event.

PTSD manifests itself by three major symptoms: re-experiencing the traumatic event through intrusive recollection, flashbacks and nightmares, accompanied by exaggerated emotional and physical reaction; avoidance of activities and human interactions, an emotional numbing; and insomnia, irritability and hyper-vigilance. Afflicted people may experience guilt or anger, they refuse to talk to other people about their feelings, and they may resort to substance abuse.

The treatment of PTSD requires a period of psychotherapy and medication, the nature and duration of which depends on the acuteness of the condition, but may last for up to two years, said Dr. Maczaj.

Following the trauma of 9/11, all New Yorkers became candidates for PTSD, which is why hotlines were established for the public to talk to therapists and support groups were formed in which the victims could share their experiences. Similar measures and a greater public awareness of the problem can go a long way towards preventing PTSD in the future, concluded Dr. Maczaj.

The next speaker was Dr. Christina Durbak, a practicing psychoanalyst for over 25 years and a former president of the National and World Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis. In 1987, following the Chornobyl disaster, she founded the World Information Transfer, a non-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding human health, which is connected to UNESCO. She is also the editor-in-chief of the World Ecology Report and the chair of the annual international conference at the United Nations Secretariat on the topic of "Health and Environment: Global Partners for Global Solutions."

Dr. Durbak spoke on the "Historic Perspective on Stress on Ukrainians in the 20th Century." Ukrainians have been subjected to such traumatic events as the Famine-Genocide, the world wars and the Chornobyl nuclear disaster. In addition, they lived under Soviet rule with the long-term stress of discrimination and the lack of religious freedom. In present-day Ukraine, the stresses derive from high unemployment and a fear about the future.

Whether the traumatic event was Chornobyl or 9/11, we now know systematic ways to reduce the stress. Support from family members, assurance of keeping one's job as part of a group, raising the awareness of directors and managers to realize that stress costs their business money - are all a good beginning. Secondary measures involve consultation, psychotherapy and treatment for substance abuse, if necessary. Ukrainians seem to handle stress better than others, probably due to their deep religious convictions, concluded Dr. Durbak.

A very lively question and answer session followed the lectures; it was chaired by Dr. Orest Popovych.

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