[LINK] "Nasa called in to help trapped Chilean miners stay healthy"

[rfmcdonald]

I'd been thinking of the parallels between the stranded miners in Chile and present (or future) isolated astronauts.

Chilean health officials are seeking advice from Nasa on how the 33 miners trapped underground can remain sane and healthy while rescue efforts continue.

The men appear to be healthy and optimistic but are likely to be confined in a tiny shelter 688 metres underground for up to four months while relief crews bore an extraction shaft.

According to officials at the Chilean health ministry, conditions in the chamber are similar to those faced by submarine crews or astronauts on the international space station.

[. . .]

Dr Lesley Peekman-Kerr, a specialist in psychological trauma, said the Chilean rescue workers appeared to be doing all they could to support the men.

"They are ensuring regular contact with loved ones and providing information to the miners."

But Peekman-Kerr warned that the emergency teams would have to break the news to the men – as gently as possible – that it would take a long time for them to be rescued.

"The rescuers need to get the men into the frame of mind that it's going to be protracted. If they tell the trapped men something false in an effort to comfort them, then trust will be broken and it is vital that the men trust completely what they're being told," she said.

Peekman-Kerr said it was important to establish a routine and to break time into chunks – for example, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Other activities to help fill the time could include games, exercises, cleaning and contact with relatives on the surface.

"When your mind is focused and occupied there is a feedback loop that calms our mental systems," she said, adding that exercise was key as it used excess energy, preventing it from being transformed into aggression.

Peekman-Kerr said that she would expect the rescue teams to draw up a profile for each man underground in an attempt to determine their strengths and to see what might cause problems.