The 33 Chilean miners trapped 700m underground in the San Jose copper and gold mine have been trapped for over a month. The rescue operation is difficult and it is likely the men will be underground until Christmas. As well as the obvious technical challenges there is another more human one – how can people cope mentally with such an extended period underground?
The Chilean government have requested help from NASA, who have researched the problems facing astronauts spending extended periods in space. There have been reports of depression amongst the miners, and NASA psychologists are helping the miners with steps such as distinguishing night from day, establishing a routine, and allocating separate areas for different activities such as eating and sleeping.
The mental well-being of the men matters not least because the miners themselves will need to clear the many tonnes of rubble created from the drilling of the escape tunnel. So they will need to be willing and able to take on this tough physical task.
Mental health research in general is not viewed positively by the public. One surprising – and disappointing – finding of last year’s VA barometer is that the public have a low level of confidence in the potential of mental health research to improve people’s lives. This is perhaps an opportunity for mental health research to be given some positive and much needed attention.
