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A strong support network is critical after being released from detention, an expert says.


Once her ordeal in prison is over, Brittney Griner will now face the challenge of returning to life at home, where having a strong support network will be crucial, a mental health expert said. a mental health professional said on Friday.

Neil Greenberg, clinical psychiatrist and professor of mental health at King’s College, said: “Most people’s trajectories are not the ones you see in the movies, where you become the traumatized person. love years later – you’ll never be the same.” London. “Most people manage to reintegrate into whatever their new life is.”

Ms. Griner, who has been detained in Russia for 10 months, landed early Friday in San Antonio and is expected to go to a local military medical center, where she will be examined and receive any any necessary medical treatment.

Professor Greenberg has studied around two dozen cases involving detainees and hostages, including advising the British government on the repatriation of kidnapped individuals. He emphasized that each case and incarceration experience is different.

Although he was not involved in Ms Griner’s case and didn’t know it specifically, he said that in the short term most people experience emotional changes after being released from custody. incarceration and may experience “trauma-like symptoms” such as poor sleep and irritability. Professor Greenberg, who is also the director of the British mental health consulting firm March on Stress, said those were signs of distress, not illness.

Jason Rezaian, the former bureau chief of The Washington Post in Tehran, who was detained in Iran for 18 months, recounted his early days after his release in 2016 in an episode of his podcast.544 days.”

“Fear and anxiety are just the first layers,” he said of the trauma he and his wife went through. “We started to lose things, little things like keys or wallets.”

Support from friends, family and colleagues or teammates is often a more important factor than counseling and therapy in determining long-term mental health for people who have experienced it, says Professor Greenberg. detained. “The evidence we have says that people like us, experts, should be there to assist with this process. We shouldn’t get involved early,” unless the person becomes unwell, he said.

He said to support those around the former detainee – like making sure that Mrs. Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner know that it’s normal for your spouse to feel distressed in the coming weeks — it’s also important.

“The role of professionals is to ensure that you effectively prepare the groundwork for someone to return to a supportive environment,” he says.

If people are supported and are able to return to normal activities and reconnect with society, their incarceration could eventually become a part of their past and a story to “tell.” around the campfire,” he said.

Professor Greenberg said that given the predictable length of detention, including the timing of meals and exercise restrictions, people who were recently released could have a hard time adjusting to being incarcerated. make decisions and deal with daily challenges. But over time, those feelings subsided, he added.

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