# Expert urges long-term psychological counselling for Assam flood victims 2026-08-22T05:54:55+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Dr Mythili Hazarika, associate professor of clinical psychology at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, has called for a long-term government plan to provide psychological counselling to people affected by floods in Assam's Sivasagar and Charaideo districts. Hazarika visited the worst-hit areas and observed that a large number of residents, particularly women and children, require mental health support. The expert said most affected individuals show signs of acute stress, fear, anxiety, helplessness, and trauma-related distress. Mothers in particular display emotional distress, and children have suffered significant psychological impact from the disaster. Hazarika stressed that the post-flood response must address these invisible scars. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Assam faces annual floods that displace lakhs, but mental health support remains an afterthought in disaster relief. The state lacks dedicated post-disaster counselling infrastructure in rural districts. Without a structured programme, victims rely on overburdened primary health centres that have no mental health specialists. The government's next flood relief budget should include a psychological first aid component. Watch for whether the Assam health department issues a counselling protocol for Sivasagar and Charaideo by the next monsoon season. ## Coverage - assamtribune.com Reports expert's call without editorialising or adding government response This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Assam floods, Charaideo, Dr Mythili Hazarika, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Sivasagar Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/expert-urges-long-term-psychological-counselling-for-assam-flood-victims/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/expert-urges-long-term-psychological-counselling-for-assam-flood-victims/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/