CAPE TOWN - Early intervention with children is best to avoid long-term post-traumatic disorder, and the sooner they are debriefed after an incident the better.
So said traumatologist Dr Antoinette Beukes after a child in Brentwood Park near Delft sought help from a neighbour on Monday when their father took his own life with a gunshot wound to the head.
The child was still in the house.
It is unconfirmed at this stage if the man, a law-enforcement officer for the City of Cape Town, shot himself with his service pistol.
Beukes, founder and director of the Kardia Research, Therapy and Training Institute, said there were trauma rooms at every police station with counsellors who could assist with trauma counselling on the spot.
They were then able to assist with a referral to professionals.
“In the instance where children are affected, the sooner they are debriefed following a traumatic incident the better.
“They should receive counselling within 24 to 72 hours to ensure they are helped appropriately due to a child’s brain processing being very different to an adult.
“There are vast amounts of therapy available and that is why early intervention is important to assess if this is a child’s first traumatic experience or if there are other factors to look at,” said Beukes.
Mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, said the matter was being investigated.
“I can confirm the man was an enforcement officer of the City. This is a very personal matter and a note was left (for the family). I will be making contact with the family later this week to give them some space to digest what had happened and not to further add to their grief,” said Smith.
According to information, after the man shot himself, the child, who was home at the time, alerted the neighbour.
Suicides among law-enforcement officers remained a concern, Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said.
“Suicides amongst officers have been a concern for some time. The research conducted (shows) that in most cases it is usually younger generations of officers between 21 and 35 who have been committing suicide. It is something which is partly related to the levels of post-traumatic stress disorder that these members have become accustomed to.
“This while employee assistance programmes offered have not been sufficient due to many raised factors, including confidentiality. It’s regrettable because the source of such suicides has been studied, and yet there isn’t sufficient will to act on preventing such occurrences,” said Mamabolo.
Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said the shooting incident was under investigation.
“Mfuleni police attended a crime scene at about 5pm. Upon arrival in Brentwood Park, they found the body of a 37-year-old man in the bathroom who sustained a gunshot wound to his head. The victim was declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel,” said Swartbooi.
If you or a loved one needs help, contact the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) on 0800 567 567.
Cape Times