Woman jumps off balcony after quake dream
Aisha Gülhan Geller, 38, who suffered from a post-traumatic stress disorder after the devastating Feb. 6 earthquake that jolted Turkey, jumped off the balcony after dreaming of another deadly tremor, killing herself.
Geller dreamed that another massive earthquake rattled her city of Hatay, her mother said, adding that her daughter rushed to the balcony and jumped off, dying instantly. She did not say when the incident occurred.
“Aisha was in fear after the earthquake, and we were staying in the same room that day,” the mother said, according to Turkish media outlets.
“It was about 3.30 p.m, my daughter suddenly woke up screaming ‘there’s an earthquake’, ‘let’s go outside’,” the mother recalled.
Two massive earthquakes, measuring 7.8 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on Feb. 6, killing more than 53,000 people and injuring thousands of others. The earthquakes also dealt a blow to buildings and the infrastructure.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it.
Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.
Most people who go through traumatic events may have temporary difficulty adjusting and coping, but with time and good self-care, they usually improve.
If the symptoms get worse, they will last for several months, or even years and interfere with the patient’s day-to-day functioning.