New Delhi: The blast near Red Fort that killed 13 people and injured dozens has left behind a trail of grief that goes far beyond the physical devastation. While the grieving families are trying to make sense of the sudden void, eyewitnesses describe scenes they cannot unsee — bodies torn apart, limbs flung across the road. The psychological impact on the survivors, families and even first responders is huge, but remains far less discussed. The experts TOI spoke to about the mental health consequences of an incident of this scale say the effects would keep unfolding even long after the debris was cleared.”In most disasters, people turn to a shared community to grieve and make sense of what happened. But in incidents like this blast, the victims are peripheral. They come from completely different backgrounds, with no single group that binds them, so there is no natural locus of support,” said Dr Nimesh G Desai, consultant psychiatrist and former director of IHBAS. “Those who lost someone, the injured, even eyewitnesses in a crowded market, all of whom were there for unrelated reasons, and are coping in isolation.”Experts also warn of a growing “digital-mediated trauma cascade”, where continuous exposure to graphic blast visuals online intensifies acute stress responses and heightens long-term vulnerability to trauma-related disorders. Dr Rajiv Mehta, senior consultant psychiatrist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said, “After a blast, the first thing children now encounter isn’t an adult’s explanation but it’s gory visuals circulating online. Their exposure is instant and unfiltered, but their capacity to understand what they’re seeing is extremely limited.” He added, “This combination makes them far more anxious and fearful. Children tend to become clingier, refusing to step out, asking if ‘another blast’ will happen.” Parents also need to be careful about the anger and sweeping generalisations they voice at home or online, he pointed out. “Children absorb that too and it deepens their fear long after these visuals will fade.” Counselling psychologist Esha Mehta said, “When you see a limb on the road or a body metres away, the mind simply freezes. I’ve worked with soldiers after the Kargil war and I’ve seen how such images can traumatise a person. What civilians witnessed here is no different. There are classic trauma responses: intrusive images, startle reactions, sleeplessness and a deep sense of physical insecurity.” She added that even routine spaces appeared threatening after such violence. “Something as ordinary as going to a market becomes frightening, especially when the blast itself happened in a place where people were just shopping or running errands. A sudden bang, a rush of people, even a smell can trigger panic.” Mehta said the emotional strain extended far beyond the immediate victims. “Frontline workers, ambulance staff, police personnel — anyone repeatedly exposed to violent scenes is vulnerable. Families who lose breadwinners face profound purposelessness, and survivor’s guilt can be overwhelming. We need sensitivity, psychological first-aid camps and long-term mental-health support.”
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