Freelance: Battlestations, causing anxiety disorder?
Battlestations, causing anxiety disorder?
March 08, 29481 - Noticiero Rivera [Atlantean]
IRRK Freelance - Thousands of fighters from all factions have fought inside the battle stations for control and use of the gigantic weapons. A perfect environment for psychological disorders to develop in some Rubi-Kan’s.
The battle stations are in space, their orbit are high above our planet, There is only one way to enter, from a terminal near ICC HQ, and the only way out are the whom-pahs inside the battle stations.
Imagine spending countless hours trying to beat your enemy over the control of a place, which is gigantic...but far from any real safe place.
"What if the whom-pahs malfunction, how long will the air last? What if it's sabotaged and we can't get out and it falls down to Rubi-Ka?"
These are the words of a patient in the new Medical Center in Old Athen, he among others who frequent the fighting inside the battle stations have developed Claustrophobia.
Doctor Inno Takeshi from the Medical Center explained the anxiety disorder to me:
"Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder that involves the fear of enclosed or confined spaces, this is well known even to the general public.
Claustrophobic may suffer from panic attacks, or fear of having a panic attack, in situations such as being in Yalmahas, Kodaiks, shuttles or space stations.
Conversely, people who are prone to having panic attacks will often develop claustrophobia. If a panic attack occurs while they are in a confined space, then the claustrophobic fears not being able to escape the situation. The battle stations are a perfect environment for the development of the disorder.
Those suffering from claustrophobia might find it difficult to breathe in closed auditoriums, theatres, and elevators. Like many other disorders, claustrophobia can sometimes develop due to a traumatic incident in childhood.
Claustrophobia can be treated in similar ways to other anxiety disorders, with a range of treatments including cognitive behaviour therapy and the use of anti-anxiety medication."
These cases were extremely rare, until the arrival of the battle stations last year. The number of cases has gone from a few a year, to dozens of clanners suffering from the disorder.
The Medical Center was opened due to the high demand of medical assistance and therapy of Old Athen residents. Their current staff includes 10 doctors, 6 nurses, 8 custodians, 2 bureaucrats for legal advice and a trader to manage the center's medical supplies.
The place is partially funded by the Vanguards, a Mr. Jonathan "Windkeeper" Wagner, and strangely enough a Mr. Mohammad "Jujuwalker" Clancy who is a neutral.
My sources inside Omni-Med have also confirmed that the same problem has arisen on Omni-Tek's side.
I tried to get an official comment from Omni-Med, and they strongly denied that any of their employees got sick physically or psychologically due to their stay inside a battle station.
Unfortunately I was unable to contact the Newland City Council to try and see if the neutrals had the same medical problem.
However I suspect since Mr. Clancy is one of the people funding the center (last time I checked he was a Minister within the NLC) and that they accept neutrals as patients that it's likely they are in the same situation.
War always has consequences, some obvious that we can see, some...not so visible. Many brave clanners who fight the corporation are now suffering from anxiety disorder.
Here are a few tips provided by Doctor Takeshi that you should consider if you're in the battle station:
If you feel short of breath or begin to feel the walls are closing on you, exit the battle station at once and seek medical assistance.
Having nightmares of being trapped in the battle station or another confined space may be a mild symptom of Claustrophobia and you should also seek medical assistance.
Don't wait too long if you don't feel well to seek help.
In a recent study by the Medical Center it was found that 5-10% of clanners screened before a scan had claustrophobia. Furthermore, it was found that 7% of patients had unidentified claustrophobia, and had to terminate the scanning procedure prematurely. 30% reported milder distress due to the necessity to lie in a confined space for a long time. For specific phobias in general, there is a lifetime prevalence rate of 7.2%-11.3%.
This is Reporter 'Noticiero' Rivera, and this has been 'A Rubi-Ka Exclusive'!
