It was hypothesized that participants assigned to SFBT would have better clinical outcomes in terms of anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and coping strategies than participants in the control group. The intervention, comprising 5 sessions of 45 min., aims to explore current resources and future hopes . EFT includes trauma exposure, cognitive, and somatic therapeutic components; it combines the exposure to traumatic memories with self-acceptance statements derived from cognitive therapy while applying psychological acupressure (i.e., tapping) as a stress relief technique. However, no reduction in anxiety, PTSD, and depressive symptoms could be found. The intervention group showed an increase in general well-being at 7 weeks post-intervention compared to the wait list control group.
💙 How to support others
That is ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’ for disaster assistance to be acceptable, accessible, adaptable and adoptable for long-term community participation and empowerment. These should be culturally appropriate and targeted towards empowering the affected community to enhance their camaraderie and competence to cope with future disasters. It is essential https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2035710 to monitor the disaster relief workers mental and physical health status during disaster pre-deployment (assessment of personality and training), deployment (hand holding) and post-deployment phase (to build resilience). There is a need to de-medicalise the survivor’s disaster response and also to de-professionalise the service delivery and focus on capacity building of the local community. They are neither part of a pre-existing or post- disaster response team.
Identify Psychiatric Disorders and Mental Health Needs
The mental health of rescue professionals following a disaster is an importantcomponent in emergency operations (9).Their job can expose them to the most gruesome sights and smells. When agencies are awarethat a percentage of individuals at risk are unable to fend for themselvesfor a variety of reasons, their services can include assistance with findingshelter, employment and health resources. The acute phase is over andnow a new post-disaster phase, that can last months, emerges with differentproblems facing the survivors. The need to sort out themental health status of the survivor will facilitate the triage work and assistin the decision for referral if long-term professional services are needed. It is important to verify if the population is strugglingnot only with the impact of the disaster, but also with a myriad of healthand mental health problems preceding the disaster. Collaboration, education and consultation with medical emergency personneldealing with wounded or burned survivors will assist in the recovery towarda healthy outcome.
Developing countries are more prone to disasters or hazards due to the various challenges like poverty, lack of resources, lack of educational opportunities, poor infrastructure, and lack of trained manpower, lack of awareness and knowledge of disaster mental health. One study lacked reporting on the length of the intervention ; ten studies did not report on the timepoint of intervention after stressor exposure 33,35,36,37,38,41,53,56,57,60, making it difficult to interpret the effectiveness of these interventions. Most of these interventions can also be applied to other types of stressors, such as disasters or pandemics. Seven published articles or study protocols described brief psychotherapeutic interventions originally developed for survivors of other severe stressors, such as terrorism or traumatic events. Two articles 44,47 described uncontrolled pre–post studies that examined brief psychotherapeutic interventions (Brief School-based Cognitive Behavioral Intervention and StArT) for survivors of natural hazards (i.e., earthquakes and hurricanes).
In 2024, the World Health Assembly approved a resolution to strengthen MHPSS in all stages of emergencies and provide integrated, quality mental health services which are accessible to all. An estimated 13% of conflict-affected populations have mild forms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, while moderate or severe mental disorders affect 9%. An estimated 22% may have depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia (1).
- Assessment of US and international public health strategies deployed during past public health emergencies can guide development of population-specific mental health care.
- “The feeling of loneliness is overwhelming,” said Dukes, but “we don’t really have very good mental-health services.”
- Testimony provided to the committee by experts in disaster behavioral health supported conclusions drawn from the literature that there is virtually no emphasis on integrating behavioral health into intermediate- and long-term recovery planning at the state and local levels (Herrmann, 2014).
- Support at the individual, family, and community level plays a key role in helping survivors regain stability and move forward.
- In the aftermath of a disaster, increased attention to mental health issues and the emergence of creative approaches to meeting disaster-related needs can be leveraged to transform long-term behavioral health care and reduce barriers to care (WHO, 2013).