“Just sitting on a psychotherapist’s couch isn’t going to cut it,” said Lilian Eunice de Lima, 38. The domestic servant is a mother of a student at the State Raul Brasil school, in Suzano (SP), and her mental health was compromised by the massacre that killed eight people and hurt 11 others, including students, workers, and one business person.
Lilian said that she saw her emotions languish after successive bouts of anxiety. "I started having a compulsion for food, I feel shortness of breath, great tightness in the chest and even psoriasis [inflammation in the skin],” said the mother of a 13-year old who is learning Spanish at the school’s language center.
“Every time my child goes to school, I get apprehensive, cry a lot and I am scared. But I just leave it to God,” she affirmed.
Lilian was referred to a psychiatrist but she only managed an appointment for Thursday (25), because, according to her, she complained to the social media profiles of the city’s first lady.
“They have not contracted psychologists and we have very few psychiatrists at the basic health centers. The treatment of the families of Raul Brasil should be a priority, but it is being treated with disrespect,” she complained.
According to the Health Department of Suzano, 1,179 people affected by the tragedy sought care and are waiting for psychological support in the city's four psychosocial care centers.
Since the tragedy 39 days ago, at least 185 people directly affected by the attack were treated. The family of the victims and survivors are among those who were treated.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon