Chinese medical team provides psychological aid in Haiti

PORT AU PRINCE, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The apocalyptic earthquake that leveled much of Haiti's capital city not only has left many Haitians without food or shelter, it also has taken an ongoing mental toll on survivors and rescue workers alike.

Cao Li (L), a member of China International Search and Rescue Team, gives  psychotherapy to a young Haitian woman in Port-au-Prince Jan. 20, 2010.  Members of China International Search and Rescue Team came to a local  medical center on Wednesday to offer medical help and psychological  consultations to people injured at the Jan. 12 earthquake.(Xinhua/Yuan Man)

A Chinese medical team is on the ground here to provide the needy with any needed psychological assistance that might be required.

The Jan. 12 earthquake killed an estimated 200,000 people and left as many as 2 million homeless and 250,000 needing urgent medical care.

Cao Li, a member of the Chinese international rescue team and a psychologist, says seeing the devastation may well lead survivors and rescue workers to a variety of mental problems such as post-traumatic stress syndrome.

The stress of dealing with the carnage, shattered households, aftershocks from the magnitude 7.3 earthquake, plus a lack of food and medicine could facilitate negative emotions of the survivors and endanger their health, Cao said.

The Chinese rescue team has already started offerring psychological aid, hoping to help the survivors deal with the trauma caused by the earthquake.