Mental health perspective of disaster management

Question 1

What is the definition of psychosocial impact?

Answer 1

The effect caused by environmental and/or biological factors on individual’s social and/or psychological aspects.

Question 2

What does ‘psychological aspect’ refer to?

Answer 2

How symptoms and conditions such as chronic pain impact a person’s mental and emotional state of health and how the mind can influence and in fact override the intensity, duration, and frequency of pain that a person experiences.

Question 3

What are psychological factors?

Answer 3

Thoughts, feelings, and other cognitive characteristics that affect the attitude, behaviour, and functions of the human mind. These factors can influence how a person thinks and later affect their decisions and relations in their daily lives.

Question 4

True or false: generally the rates of PTSD are high in the initial months after a disaster.

Answer 4

Question 5

True or false: most causes of PTSD become non-cases in the subsequent months of the initial disaster.

Answer 5

Question 6

What is affected the implications of the patterns of PTSD?

Answer 6

For when assistance is offered after disasters because most disaster survivors eventually regain functioning on their own without formal mental health intervention.

Question 7

What is the influence of PTSD patterns on post-disaster mental health intervention?

Answer 7

Initial interventions are primarily designed to promote safety, assist coping, and stabilise the individual and their environment. Subsequent interventions are designed more to prevent/rx psychpathological responses that have begun to emerge after the disaster.

Question 8

True or false: a short- or intermediate-term intervention is defined by the time since a traumatic event has occurred.

Answer 8

Question 9

Two issues that are important for deciding the appropriateness of an intervention are the extent to which:

Answer 9

• The threat still exists for the survivior
• The survivor has sufficient resources to manage the intervention

Question 10

What is the most common disorder that occurs after exposure to a traumatic event?

Answer 10

PTSD

Question 11

What are the characteristics of PTSD?

Answer 11

• Re-experiencing the traumatic event
• Avoidance
• Numbing
• Hyperarousal

Question 12

What criteria do PTSD symptoms need to fulfill for dx?

Answer 12

• Present for at least one month
• Cause clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning

Question 13

What is the prevalence of PTSD in direct victims?

Answer 13

30-40%

Question 14

What is the prevalence of PTSD in rescue personnel?

Answer 14

10-20%

Question 15

What are the second and third most common psychological disorder in disaster survivors?

Answer 15

Depression, followed by anxiety.

Question 16

What does complicated grief refer to? What does it involve?

Answer 16

• Refers to reactions that persist over time
• Involves:
  
  • Yearning for the deceased
  • Bitterness about the loss
  • Inability to proceed with life
  • Preoccupation with the loss
  • Hopelessness about the future
  • Preoccupation with sorrow

Question 17

Complicated grief occurs in approximately ____ to ____% of bereaved people, though the rate is markedly higher following traumatic death.

Answer 17

10 to 15%

Question 18

True or false: complicated grief is a distinct syndrome that is separate from depression or anxiety.

Answer 18

Question 19

What other problems are often reported that aren’t captured by traditional dx categories?

Answer 19

• Sleep problems
• Stress/worry
• Maladaptive substance use
• Interpersonal conflict

Question 20

What dx was introduced by the DSM-IV to try and identify people who will subsequently develop PTSD?

Answer 20

Acute stress disorder

Question 21

How long must symptoms of an acute stress disorder be present to prompt dx of PTSD?

Answer 21

Minimum of two days, and a maximum of four weeks.

Question 22

True or false: the majority of people with PTSD do not initially display acute stress disorder.

Answer 22

Question 23

List some of the ways NGOs can support post-disaster mental health.

Answer 23

• Provide support to GOs
• Can mobilise quickly
• Offer physical/emotional/psychological support
• Produce books/media to assist the community
• Provide a community recourse
• Work long-term
• Are good pt advocates

Question 24

Describe the first response phase of a child/adolescent.

Answer 24

• Fear
• Shock
• Anxiety
• Grief
• Relief that other family members survived
• May show signs of wanting to help

Question 25

Describe the second response phase of children/adolesents.

Answer 25

• Clingy
• Irritable
• Revert to younger developmental levels (bedwetting, fear of the dark)
• Change in appetite
• Constipation
• Hedaches
• Poor sleep
• Feeling responsible for the disaster/guilt
• Dissatisfaction/bitterness toward delays in restoring structure
• Social withdrawal
• Loss of interest in activities

Question 26

The third response phase is the ____ stage.

Answer 26

Reconstructive.

Question 27

What are some common differences between responses of girls and boys?

Answer 27

• Girls
  
  • Verbally express distress more easily
  • May ask more questions about disaster
  • May have more recurring thoughts about disaster
• Boys
  
  • Express more anger and violent behaviours
  • Can take longer to recover