YOGYAKARTA – Director of Center for Public Mental Health (CPMH) of Universitas Gadjah Mada, Prof. Dr. Noor Rochman Hadjam, said that the CPMH would send a team of psychologists to the Cebongan prisoner in Sleman regency, Yogyakarta, to do trauma healing for prison wardens and inmates following the death of four inmates who had been shot by gunmen on Saturday. Noor Rochman said, however, that he has yet to wait for an official letter from the head of the prison to do such request. “We’re waiting for an official letter so that our team can have access to the prison,” Noor told reporters in the Fortakgama room of UGM main building on Wednesday (27/3).
Previously, Noor Rochman was informed by Dean of Faculty of Psychology, Dr. Supra Wimbarti, to prepare a team, after talks with the head of the prison. The CPMH will coordinate with psychologists from community health centres that are trained by the Faculty in coordination with Health Agency of Sleman regency.
Causing Trauma
The incident last Saturday in the Cebongan prison was mentioned by Noor Rochman as able to cause trauma to prison wardens and other prisoners. One symptom is anxiety. “Generally, those with trauma will suffer from prolonged anxiety, difficulty to sleep, and quick heart beat,” he said.
The CPMH will try to remove the trauma through trauma healing to maintain the psychological condition of the wardens and inmates to return to normal. “It may take up to 3 or 4 meetings for each person,” he said.
The UGM team will also provide psychological assistance to the family of the murdered victims. Noor Rochman said that he has not decided how many psychologists would be required. They will do a rapid assessment first. It is possible that they will work with psychologist from other universities. “Some psychologists will carry out a rapid assessment, looking at what can be done,” he said.
Perpetrator’s Sense of Belonging
According to Noor Rochman, the shooting committed by the perpetrators from psychological science showed that the perpetrators have close ties with Sgt. Heru who had been killed by the four victims. He mentioned that the perpetrators have a sense of belonging with them. “Theoretically, there is the sense of belonging, it can be the sad and happy moments they had shared before. They could have been mates who were once in the same boat, so they had the sense of belonging,” he concluded.