MUMBAI - YOUNG and old, rich and poor: none have been unaffected by the deadly strikes on the Indian city of Mumbai.

And as daily life slowly resumes, psychiatrists say the mental scars of the three days of bloody violence that saw at least 172 people lose their lives will take a long time to heal.

Dr Yusuf Abdulla Matcheswalla likened the trauma of Mumbaikars seeing their fellow citizens raked by automatic weapons or blown up by grenades to that of soldiers returning from frontline combat.

'I've helped in the aftermath of the (2004 Asian) tsunami, earthquakes and bomb blasts. But this was a warlike situation,' he told AFP.

'Many people who were there and were saved are going through severe panic,' said Dr Matcheswalla, who runs a counselling centre and clinics at three city hospitals.

'They get very shaken and very fearful at every small sound. They're not sleeping, not eating, getting nausea and vomiting.' Among the worst affected have been young children, said Dr Matcheswalla's colleague, Dr Ali Akbar Gabhrani.

Many youngsters have previously only seen such violence 'virtually' through game consoles and other video games, he told AFP.

'Now, 24/7, they have seen and heard this terrorism on the television and they now understand that this can happen in real life,' he said.

Homemakers, too, have borne the brunt. Many spend long hours alone with only the daily serial dramas on television for company.

Since last week, Indian television has had rolling coverage of the strikes.

'They have the television on all day and are worried about husbands, sons and daughters but have no outlet for their concerns,' Dr Gabhrani explained. 'They are feeling a lot of helplessness.'

Nearly 300 people were injured in the attacks, which began late last Wednesday.

The wounded are recovering in hospital, many of them under sedation following life-saving surgery, but are likely to show psychological trauma when they come round, said Dr Matcheswalla.

Ms Mangala Megharaj, a yoga therapist working at the Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy Hospital, said some are reliving the nightmare on the wards.

'At night they are dreaming something like somebody is shooting them, something like that. And they're just shouting 'help, help,' like that,' she told AFP TV.

The psychiatrists and counsellors who have been working round-the-clock say patients are displaying a range of symptoms, but fear that post-traumatic stress disorder could develop if those affected do not seek help.

Some people are already afraid to leave their homes. Others have suffered panic attacks or depression, they said.

'They need professional help,' said Dr Matcheswalla.

Dr Gabhrani said most of the 57 patients he has seen for one-on-one sessions could be treated through counselling.

But a handful required medication and two had to be sent to hospital because of fears for their mental health.

Dr Matcheswalla said the doctors and emergency service personnel who dealt with the dead, dying and injured have also been affected.

The doctors say they have enough resources to try to help heal the mental scars. A mobile counselling centre is planned for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai's main railway station, which was hit by gunmen.

But they are trying to get the message across that people should talk about their negative feelings, but not let them dominate.

'Accept it. This was the situation. Now the situation has gone and the fear has gone,' said Dr Gabhrani. 'People need to understand they are not alone in feeling like this.' -- AFP