Wave of depression hits Samoa 

Source: New Zealand Defence ForceAn image of the destruction in Samoa, taken from the Air Force Orion aircraft

A wave of depression, anxiety and acute psychiatric problems has hit those worst affected by Samoa's tsunami, officials have warned.

Dr Lemalu Fiu, who heads the country's national hospital, said while the physical wounds from the September 29 disaster have largely healed, Samoa is facing an epidemic of emotional ills.

Community-based nurses have reported increased rates of depression and violence, caused by high unemployment rates and alcohol abuse.

"We have young men drinking themselves into a stupor on beer and cheap spirits because they just don't know how to deal with their huge grief," Lemalu said.

He said the hospital had started taking inpatients of all ages with severe post traumatic stress disorder, most of whom have no history of mental illness.

"It's become a huge problem. We've had many people come through with anything from bad depression to acute psychiatric problems, psychosis, insomnia, delirium, aggression, you name it."

"Many needed to be sedated. They're just totally overwhelmed by their grief."

The doctor said these patients were among those who had been hardest hit by the tragedy, losing family members, homes and most of their possessions.

They had "held on" in the weeks after the tsunami but had since "cracked" under the strain.

"It's what you would expect for people that have been through these terrible things. It takes a lot of time and a lot of space to process these feelings to move past it," Lemalu said.

Local nursing teams and international grief counsellors had been working overtime to help victims process their emotions but the work load was very heavy, he said.

The tsunami, triggered by an 8.0-magnitude earthquake, claimed 143 lives in Samoa. Dozens of fale-style resorts - a style without walls, businesses and homes were destroyed, leaving hundreds of people on the devastated southern coast displaced and without work.