The death of Lady Di responsible for many depressions

It there has three years, Lady Di exactly, found death under the bridge of Alma. According to a study undertaken in Australia at the time, this tragedy had an extremely important impact on the populations. Depression, anxiety or sick leave thus strongly increased in the days which followed the accident.

August 31st, 1997. The world learns death from the Diana Princess. Beyond the emotion which it raised, this drama had serious consequences at many people. It is at least what reveals a study undertaken in Australia and revealed today.

25% of additional requests for assistance

Researchers of the universities of Adelaide and Flinders indeed sought to evaluate the psychological effects of this accident. They thus sent a questionnaire has more than 60 organizations of support, assistance or listening of the south of Australia in order to evaluate the requests for assistance during the three weeks which followed the drama.

According to this work, at least half of these organizations noted an increase in requests. If, on average, the calls increased by 25%, this figure reached 75% in certain centers. The people felt an enormous sadness, which in many cases was accompanied by more serious consequences: anxiety, depression, abuse alcohol and drugs, and sick leave of several days. According to Doctor Sheila Clark, one of leading of the study, “these consequences are known like complications of the consecutive sorrow to a loss and are not specific. Nevertheless, certain organizations announced people who met physical symptoms or needed to consult a doctor”.

Resurgence of old pains

“The phenomenon of collective pain was already described after the death of eminent personalities such as John F. Kennedy or Itzak Rabin. That was described as a behavior of group of sympathy towards a person who has just died”, specifies Dr. Clark. However, in the case of Lady Di, this impact would not be solely caused by the sympathy of the public. He would be explained in fact by the resurgence of old pains at many people. Indeed, the majority had lived a similar drama:

* the death of an young graduate in particular of the age of Diana
* the death of a wife (identification with Charles)
* the loss of parents (identification with William and Harry)
* an car accident
* a mediatized death

The people suffering already from anxiety or having undergoes a post-traumatic shock felt also concerned. According to the authors, it thus is not here about a phenomenon of mass, but of exacerbated individual pains.

However, the circumstances of dead are not the only ones in question. The press coverage and the personality of Diana have certainly their share of responsibility, as Dr. Clarke underlines it: “people were identified in Diana, because it was a perfect model of the person who overcomes the major stresses of the life (separation of the parents, rupture with the spouse, death of the father…). Moreover, this study underlines the effect of the mediatization, which had not been completely appreciated before. The advertisement of a disaster, a war, an accident could have assigned people in a similar way”.

To face the future deaths of personalities

If this study reveals the total impact of the death of Lady Di, it does not describe all the effects precisely. “Of other studies are necessary, in order to determine severity and the duration of the reactions as well as the demographic characteristics of the people concerned”, adds Dr. Clark besides. Moreover, it would have been certainly interesting of course to evaluate the effects of this death in the United Kingdom, but even in France: Lady Di was a planetary icon. It is enough to see the repercussions which had this accident on other side of the Earth…

Nevertheless, this study could help the services of support. According to the researchers it should make it possible to facilitate the preparation of action plans, the training of the advisers, etc Because of other deaths are likely to have an significant impact, at least on the old British colonies, as Dr. Clark underlines it: “the death of the Queen Mother will involve reactions similar to those of died of Lady Di, with different targets. The people concerned will be certainly those which will have lived the loss of an old relative, etc”. Fortunately, the Queen increases herself as a charm to 100 years last…