After the crash that added fuel to the fire of emotional crises

The circumstances that have caused stress, anxiety, confusion, and intense fear, such as the one that struck the community six years ago with the highly deadly COVID-19 pandemic, were compounded by the recent collapse of the roof of a crowded room at the Jet Set nightclub, killing 232 people and injuring many others. The subsequent activation of a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals for collective mitigation was not difficult in a country where certain emotional disorders have long been prevalent to a degree that concerns many specialists.

Experienced in their fields, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and healthcare personnel were deployed to the so-called ground zero from the outset to provide “immediate and sustained interventions to the victims, their families, and those who participated in the rescue and assistance efforts.” (TODAY, 04/16/25). Aid workers sprang into action as if triggered by statistics from the Dominican Republic that point to the now heightened effects of depression and anxiety in this environment due to other traumatic events that have nothing to do with the recent events, such as domestic violence, abuse, or mistreatment in the ordinary course of people’s lives; in addition to the profuse arrival at clinics of emotional and personality problems, some of which are generated by the consumption of psychoactive substances and addiction, which in their most serious cases lead to suicide. Although less frequent than depression, cases of schizophrenia are considered to be significantly present in some family members.

The brigade members made available to citizens affected by the tragedy in the early hours of April 8 reported the detection of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, insomnia, and, in some cases, acute psychosis with effects on adults and minors. Additional assistance was provided to the professionals who worked in the first phase of the emergency, including firefighters, rescue workers, and personnel dedicated exclusively to addressing the mental health consequences.

However, the country also needs to make mental health the central focus of public health policies as a permanent effort rather than a temporary response to events such as the Jet Set tragedy. According to Dr. Héctor Guerrero Heredia, the Dominican Republic is no exception to the challenges of postmodern society, which include attention deficit, depression, anxiety, and autism spectrum disorders, “problems that are increasingly common in the population,” he added.

In a previous presentation, the psychiatrist, who has a notable media presence, considered it urgent to prioritize mental health, which “currently receives a minimal budget in the healthcare system.” He recalled that suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people, along with traffic accidents and drug use, which indicates the urgency of addressing mental illness and disorders as a priority.

SOCIAL PROBLEM

For Clara Melanie Zaglul Zaiter, a renowned Dominican psychiatrist living in Madrid, Spain, it is clear that the country’s multiple mental health problems stem from a breeding ground of chronic marginalization, poverty, and neglect suffered by a large part of the population. “Marginalization does not only mean surviving in very precarious conditions, but also implies an impoverishment of thought and an accumulation of ignorance which, as I have said on other occasions, is the worst of all diseases.”

However, even before the events at the nightclub, the specialist maintained that recognizing that the care services currently available to Dominicans are insufficient is a good starting point because it acknowledges that the country faces a serious problem that affects social coexistence.

“This will not be resolved with individual actions but with social and community mental health policies such as those promoted with great success for years by Dr. Fernando Sánchez Martínez, former rector of the UASD and disciple and biographer of Dr. Antonio Zaglul” (father of the speaker).

It should be acknowledged that the StatState has done its part to combat collective, circumstantial, or permanent emotional crises, as recognized at a recent lunch of the Corripio Communications group by Dr. Francis Báez of the Center for Psychosocial Care and Human Development (Reside). She asked that it be considered that more than twenty hospitals in the country are equipped with psychologists and psychiatrists.

STAGNATION

Three years ago, Dr. José Dunker, a psychiatrist and therapist practicing in Santiago, argued that the country has experienced moments of great concern in community health due to an increase in mental disorders. “Instead of decreasing as has happened with other diseases, mental disorders have increased,” he said in response to a question from television producer Federico Méndez.

Infectious diseases have declined in the Dominican Republic, but “with mental illness, it has been the opposite. In other words, we have not made progress in the management of mental illness.” He referred to depression, suicide, anxiety, and addiction, which are on the rise. “Maladjusted behaviors are attacking society, which was not previously exposed to them.”

In another press appearance, the former rector of the UASD and psychiatrist by profession, Fernando Sánchez Martínez, argued that the mental health of any country depends on the way the family develops, especially in a stratified society such as the Dominican Republic. In his view, the social groups most affected are those living in crisis due to a lack of homes, food, and job security.

“Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of a family living in poor housing conditions; they have no drinking water, the girls have to go out to fetch water, and they survive amid great insecurity. All of this has a huge impact on the emotional life of individuals,” he said.

However, when participating in another recent panel, Dr. Ángel Almanzar, a psychiatrist, said that mental disorders are also present in highly developed societies such as Japan and the Nordic countries, where citizens tend to earn adequate wages to cover their needs and achieve a comfortable lifestyle, education is of high quality, and public services are generally well rated.

RESILIENCE

A panel of renowned specialists convened by the Corripio Communications group concluded that social factors in the Dominican Republic affect the mental health of 20 out of every 100 people. However, they estimated that the country’s inhabitants show a significant capacity to recover from adversity. Their findings are valid following the collapse of the Jet Set club ceiling.

Doctors of psychiatry Fernando Sánchez Martínez, Carlos de los Ángeles, María Neri Pérez, and Angel Almánzar took into account that this society would have plenty of reasons for pessimism and depression if one considers the factors that weigh on it: insecurity, violence, the struggle for survival, and the presence (at that time) of 500,000 young people who were neither studying nor working. Most citizens agree with protesting because there is traffic chaos in this area, and they often highlight notable disrespect for the law with impunity, leaving crimes against the state.

“Dominicans are subjected to great psychosocial stress from factors that include disputes between workers and employers that undermine the emotional health of citizens,” said panelist De los Ángeles. However, he believed that such conditions become opportunities for growth thanks to the ability of most Dominicans to react favorably.

Former rector Sánchez Martínez attributed to citizens, in general, the ability to often turn tragedy into an event that paradoxically generates laughter and joy. “The street corners and colmadones (small grocery stores) are filled with people in a festive atmosphere; there, people vent their feelings about even serious issues such as public safety.”

Solidarity also counts: In the wake of the Jet Set tragedy, someone wrote, “It is important to accompany people in their pain, to listen without judging and to be there to offer a coffee, a word or a simple ‘I am with you.’ Emotional professionals understand that this capacity for resilience makes all the difference because grief needs space, time, and validation.”