MENTAL HEALTH PREPAREDNESS Flashcards
A _______ is an occurrence such as:
– Hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake
– Explosion, hazardous material accident
– War, fire, famine or epidemic
Disaster
causes human suffering
creates collective human need requires
outside assistance to alleviate
Disaster
¾ of the population will be exposed to
some event in their lifetime that meets
the stressor criteria for ________
Post-traumatic
stress disorder
“___________ refers to the emotional,
cognitive, behavioral and physiological
experiences of individuals who are
exposed to, or who witness, events that
overwhelm their coping and problem
solving abilities.”
Lerner & Shelton, 2001
Traumatic stress
Typical disaster response patterns
- Distractibility
- Duration, sequence, distortion
- Declining school work performance
- Recurrent intrusive recollections
- Flashbacks, nightmares
Cognitive
Typical disaster response patterns
1. Clinging, isolation
2. Thrill seeking behaviors
3. Re-enactments of the trauma
4. Increased substance abuse
5. Hyper-vigilance
6. Elevated startle reflex
Behavioral
Typical disaster response patterns
1. Shock symptoms
2. Insomnia
3. Loss of appetite
4. Headaches
5. Muscle weakness
6. Elevated vital signs
Physical
Typical disaster response patterns
1. Depression, anxiety
2. Numbness
3. Constricted affect
4. Guilt, shame, fear
5. Intolerance of fear response
6. Global pessimism
Affective
Psychological Reactions to disasters
• Threat
• Warning
• Impact
First phases
Psychological Reactions to disasters
• Heroic
• Honeymoon
• Inventory
Next phases
Psychological Reactions to disasters
• Disillusionment
• Reconstruction
• Recovery
Final phases
defend against
manifestations of distress, impairment or
dysfunction
Resistance
Rebound rapidly & effectively
from psychological distress
Resilience
regain the ability to function
adaptively in the wake of distress,
impairment or dysfunction
Recovery
