Face the pandemic like a jawan

According to Oxford University economist Linda Yueh, the Coronavirus pandemic has pushed the global economy into the throes of recession last witnessed during World War II. Not only the financial future, but people's health and social well being are also under threat. "We are not at the end of the crisis, and maybe not even at the end of the beginning. But it is time that the world considered how to navigate a post-COVID-19 future. Military psychology is a good place to turn to for understanding individual and social responses to existential stress and coping with resilience," feels combat veteran and cognitive-behavioural psychologist Lt Col Dr Samir Rawat.

The armed forces, he thinks, offer both experience and research-based knowledge about handling unforeseen, uncertain and dangerous situations. "Comparing the Coronavirus to an enemy that requires to be neutralised on war footing evokes images of a military style operation. This may provide the necessary succour and a unifying framework of a spirit of bravery, raw courage and unparalleled sacrifice among communities to rebuild lives in a post-COVID world," he adds. Dr Rawat, who unfurled the Indian flag after recapturing enemy-held positions in Batalik sector of Kargil in 1999, and was conferred the President's gallantry award, says he is familiar with isolation and loneliness, emotions that the average Indian has had to confront during the lockdown. "When you do unusual tenures in the Siachen Glacier, with limited food, you learn to thrive with nothing. When the lockdown was imposed in March, a lot of people were confused. A military officer, I believe, knows how to emerge easily from such a situation, while a civilian may struggle. We wanted to share these hacks with policy makers, emergency first responders (EFRs), practising psychologists and other citizens."

Indian Navy rescue team gears up ahead of Cyclone Nisarga, in Mumbai. Pic/PTI

Along with 47 military psychologists from 16 countries, Dr Rawat has collaborated on a book titled, Military Psychology Response to Post Pandemic Reconstruction. This scientific anthology was simultaneously released in India, Norway and Poland on October 26. "The military is called in to help tackle every grave natural disaster. There is so much we can learn from their psychological experiences. They've dealt with extreme stress and trauma, and thus, can offer non-civilians a better understanding on handling and overcoming the odds to thrive in a challenging environment."

A believer in good can come out of bad, Dr Rawat thinks that the pandemic will lead to a permanent shift in individual and collective feelings, thought, emotions, cognition and behaviour, all of which might become apparent only later. And the Indian government, he thinks, could have put the military to greater use. "If not the serving army, the government could have used the expertise of war veterans. I remember in April, when cases were rising in India, the government roped in the military to shower petals on frontline workers in a show of gratitude. While I agree we had to thank them for doing a good job, I also feel those resources could have been used to impose stricter lockdown measures, and offer relief work. But the military was unfortunately misused for political gain."

Lt Col Dr Samit Rawat, military psychologist. Pic/Krunal Gosavi

The book then hopes to put their experience and expertise to better use. Dr Rawat shares military hacks civilian society can adopt to combat the after effects of the pandemic, and a possible future infection attack, with the precision of a military operation.

Become an emergency first responder We need realistic training of health care workers and emergency first responders on a regular and continuous basis, just the way the military trains soldiers [even in the absence of war]. In addition, basic training for dealing with disasters and catastrophes should percolate to the grassroots level, with the general population being introduced to the basics of first aid to help in the absence of doctors and nursing assistants in remote locations. Countries like Belgium, Netherlands and Norway have already begun providing post COVID-19 decompression to reduce pressure and cope with burden, trauma and moral injury as well as dealing with the unresolved grief and unfinished bereavement of families who were able to only barely provide worthy goodbyes from a distance.

Trust your leader Trust during a pandemic is critical. It helps the government deal effectively with the situation at hand. Given that trust is considered the most important element in military leadership and must mutually exist between the leader and his command, in normal life too, it is incumbent on the people to comply with public health regulations and conform to rules and regulations laid down for the collective benefit of society, even if it may be inconvenient to some.

Focus on saving maximum lives The basis of military triage is to ensure that the available medical resources, which may be limited in a combat zone, are used to treat the greatest number of casualties. The dilemma of who all will need to first be given access to the much-awaited COVID-19 vaccine could well be determined following similar protocols that ensure maximum survival of soldiers to achieve a successful mission.

Value role of psychologists and counsellors Finally, while the focus is still essentially on treatment of infection as the world eagerly awaits the vaccine as a preventive weapon, there is an urgent need to address the insecurities that have surfaced on account of the pandemic and its social and economic ramifications. It is here that the role of psychologists and counsellors assumes significance in providing mental help to individuals and organisations—be it in cognitive, emotional and behavioural self-regulation, or in dealing with unwanted stress, fear of infection, frustration, boredom, inadequate resources and essential supplies, sleep disorders, anxiety, burnout, and unfinished bereavement over loss of loved ones.

What is military psychology?

When young men enter military service and lose hope of returning safe to their homeland, they could face melancholia and listlessness. If unchecked, it becomes all-consuming, and they become indifferent to emotional stimuli. Specific examples of the issues faced by military personnel include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), guilt, family and partner difficulties, and nightmares and flashbacks. Military psychologists offer therapeutic services, such as counselling, as well as training and psychoeducational programmes in order to deal with these conditions.

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