Table of Contents
Psychological Distress
When someone disappears, the relatives of the material victim are thrown in a status of serious psychological distress which can last for years. People who experience severe suffering related to disappearance often feel to be the only ones ones who go through certain emotions. Instead they must know their are not alone; sharing their feelings with other people who have or are going through the same experience plays a significant role in finding relief. However, relatives must be prepared that full rehabilitation is usually a long and complicated process, most of the time requiring professional assistance.
First Emotions
The first emotions that are commonly experienced by relatives are fear, anguish, anger and frustration. Further relatives may experience intrusive images, severe emotional attacks. These may generate the sensation that it is too hard to cope with regular activities. They many also suffer from:
- insomnia,
- preoccupations with thoughts of the deceased and
- unpredictable periods of anger, anxiety, survivor guilt.
Simultaneously, relatives will be called to address legal, economic and social problems.
Mourning
Relatives of disappeared persons are tormented by uncertainty and hope. The absence of undeniable bodily proof makes it impossible to go into real mourning for the loss of a beloved one. It is common knowledge that a mourning process is essential in order to be able to resume the daily routine of life at a later time. Experiences of relatives of disappeared persons have shown that certainty about the death constitutes the actual beginning og mourning.
Sometimes the authorities proceed to issuing death certificates under the pressure from relatives and international community. Despite the material and social advantages given with he death certificate, a number of relatives will not rest until the truth has been established and the body has been found and identified.