Shrinks worried for boy whose dad 'killed' mom

City psychiatrists following the murder of Beena Dedhia and the subsequent arrest of the two accused her husband Jitin and sister-in-law Rupal Chheda are worried for Beena's son, Rahul (name changed, 13).

City psychiatrists following the murder of Beena Dedhia and the subsequent arrest of the two accused her husband Jitin and sister-in-law Rupal Chheda are worried for Beena's son, Rahul (name changed, 13).

First, Rahul has to cope with his mother's death and then, say psychiatrists, the shock of learning his father has been arrested for killing his mother.

"He may not be old enough to understand the gravity of the situation, but Rahul is certainly old enough to be depressed at the news of his father's arrest and it will only add fuel to the raging fire inside him," said noted psychiatrist Yusuf Matcheswala.





"If Rahul was very close to his father, he may not accept that his father could have plotted to murder his mother, but if he is reasonably close then on the one side there is the grief of losing his mother and on the other the anger at what his father has done.

And this can result in a mental break down and he may develop severe psychological and behavioral issues," added Matcheswala.

The psychiatrist added that Rahul would be brooding and if this phase is not handled well and sensitively, he can develop psycho-pathological diseases.

However, psychiatrists feel that the impact of the situation on Vijay (11) Rupal's son may not be as bad as Rahul, as his parents are alive and he has better support systems in place.

The child should not be left alone, the chances of he may harm himself or run away the child has to be protected and taken care of by the family members, they have to see other support systems, close friends who would accept him and be with him, his school teachers and cousins, who can be a support rather than taunting on the issues.

He should resume school and studies as soon as possible to divert and keep his mind busy. Also a psychological assistance would help Rahul to face the situation better.

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