The recent 7.8 earthquake magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria caused major physical destruction and loss of life in both countries. Health experts now warn that the disaster will also cause major mental health damage as well.
最近袭击土耳其和叙利亚的 7.8 级地震给两国造成了重大的物质破坏和生命损失。健康专家现在警告说，这场灾难还会造成重大的精神健康损害。
 
Officials say tens of thousands of people died and over 1.5 million were left homeless in cold winter conditions. Many have lost family members, jobs and their hopes for the future.
官员们说，在寒冷的冬季条件下，数万人死亡，超过 150 万人无家可归。许多人失去了家人、工作和对未来的希望。
 
Tugce Seren Gul's aunt and grandmother were killed in Antakya in Turkey's southeast. Every night, she waits until 4:17 am in the morning, the exact time that the disaster hit, to try to go to sleep.
Tugce Seren Gul 的姨妈和祖母在土耳其东南部的安塔基亚遇害。每天晚上，她都会等到凌晨 4 点 17 分，也就是灾难发生的确切时间，然后试着入睡。
 
"I keep thinking another disaster will strike at that time and just wait for it to pass," said the 28-year-old Gul. She escaped by running out of her family house with her mother moments before the walls collapsed.
28 岁的古尔说：“我一直在想，到时候又会发生另一场灾难，就等着它过去吧。” 在墙壁倒塌之前，她和母亲一起跑出家门，逃了出来。
 
Gul said the horror has weighed heavily on the mental health of survivors who "lost everything" in the city of Antakya.
古尔说，恐怖事件严重影响了在安塔基亚市“失去一切”的幸存者的心理健康。
 
She wants to one day seek professional mental health help to deal with the trauma. But for now, she is establishing a new life for herself and her family.
她想有一天寻求专业的心理健康帮助来应对创伤。但就目前而言，她正在为自己和家人建立新的生活。
 
Children at risk
处于危险中的儿童
 
Experts fear children will be hardest hit. The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said many of the more than 5.4 million children who live across the area affected by the earthquake were at risk of developing anxiety, depression and other disorders.
专家担心儿童将受到最严重的打击。联合国国际儿童紧急基金会 (UNICEF) 表示，生活在受地震影响地区的超过 540 万儿童中，有许多人面临患上焦虑症、抑郁症和其他疾病的风险。
 
"We know how important learning and routine is for children and their recovery," UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Afshan Khan said after a visit to Turkey.
联合国儿童基金会欧洲和中亚区域主任阿夫山·汗在访问土耳其后说：“我们知道学习和日常生活对儿童及其康复有多么重要。”
 
"They need to be able to resume their education, and they urgently need" psychological "support to help deal with the trauma they have experienced."
“他们需要能够恢复学业，他们迫切需要‘心理’支持来帮助处理他们所经历的创伤。”
 
Mehmet Sari is a government social support worker. He said he and others in his team have seen signs of trauma in children.
Mehmet Sari 是一名政府社会支持工作者。他说他和他团队中的其他人已经看到儿童受到创伤的迹象。
 
They need long-term support to recover from trauma, he said.
他说，他们需要长期支持才能从创伤中恢复过来。
 
Turkey's Ministry of Family and Social Services said it has sent more than 3,700 social workers to support those affected by the earthquake.
土耳其家庭和社会服务部表示，已派出 3,700 多名社会工作者支持受地震影响的人们。
 
‘The stress is chronic'
“压力是慢性的”
 
Psychologist and professor at MEF University, Ayse Bilge Selcuk, said the Turkish people have already been under pressure. She said rising poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic have hurt the country.
MEF 大学的心理学家和教授 Ayse Bilge Selcuk 说，土耳其人民已经承受了压力。她说，日益严重的贫困和 COVID-19 大流行已经伤害了这个国家。
 
"The stress is chronic," Selcuk said, meaning that the tension continues over time. "For this nation to get back on its feet, we need to find that strength within us and that starts with our psychology," she added.
“压力是慢性的，”塞尔丘克说，这意味着紧张会随着时间的推移而持续。“为了让这个国家重新站起来，我们需要找到我们内心的力量，这要从我们的心理开始，”她补充说。
 
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to rebuild homes within a year. But it will still be many months before thousands can leave temporary shelters.
总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安已承诺在一年内重建家园。但要让数千人离开临时避难所，还需要好几个月的时间。
 
People look numb, likely a defense process to deal with stress, said Selcuk. Anxiety, helplessness and depression are likely to be common and young people could feel anger.
塞尔丘克说，人们看起来麻木，可能是应对压力的防御过程。焦虑、无助和抑郁很可能很普遍，年轻人可能会感到愤怒。
 
Rebuilding efforts should include mental health, Selcuk said. She urged the government to provide money for training psychologists to be sent to the earthquake areas to stay there.
塞尔丘克说，重建工作应包括心理健康。她敦促政府提供资金，用于培训心理学家，派他们到地震灾区留在那里。