Disaster
Psychiatry: Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst
2nd Annual
Richmond Hospital Dept. of Psychiatry, Clinical Day - April 7, 2006
Ian A.
Gillespie, MD, FRCP(C), DABPN
Presentation
Notes
& Resources for
FairSolutions.com
Web Site
Presentation Content
Disaster psychiatry examines the
psychological and behavioral effects of disasters on individuals and
populations.
Population-based disaster psychiatry research includes the effects
of natural disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes, floods) on groups such as first
responders and body handlers (see fact sheets on body handling).
Disaster psychiatry ensures that mental
health is a part of the public health response to disaster.
Won't spend much time on definition and evolution
of this specialty, or its relation to other fields, let's make the content of
this practical.
Why learn it?
- Disasters have an effect on our patients and communities
- Preparation will reduce the impact
- Learning about the effects of trauma will help in our work
Types of disaster
Natural hurricane,
tornado, flood, landslide, volcano, earthquake, tsunami
Man-made:
- transportation
- biological avian influenza,
smallpox
- terrorism explosions, biological,
chemical, nuclear
Psychiatric needs in disaster
- Maintain the care of the mentally ill
- Triage
- Prevention of morbidity
- Lot's to do, not necessarily on the front line
Training and communication skills
Practical
Things To Do
Emergency Preparedness
for you and your family
for your patients
Simplify and Scale Down
Prepare for sudden death or mass deaths
Wills and estate planning
Computer passwords
Gift to survivors of an organized estate
Now that you're ready ...
Develop an emergency response network of trained
and interested professionals
Acronym - PERSIST
Personal
preparation for emergencies
Educate yourself
about Disaster Psychiatry Issues
Reverse and
Ready*
Stay aware of
news without obsessing
Imagine
different scenarios and appropriate problem solving
Safety trumps
anything else in priority when called upon to act
Teamwork will enhance
preparation, response and recovery efforts
* "Reverse and Ready" is taught in Red
Cross
aquatic lifesaving courses and is the equivalent to, "Always secure your own
mask
before helping another person" (the aircraft cabin depressurization warning).
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References
http://www.centerforthestudyoftraumaticstress.org/factsheets.shtml Fact
Sheets
Books and CDs from Oxford University
Press
www.centerforthestudyoftraumaticstress.org/resources.shtml
- books
Coping with Trauma: Hope through Understanding
Scaling Down: Living Large in a Smaller Space
Debriefing Debate
www.centerforthestudyoftraumaticstress.org/downloads/DebriefingDebate.pdf
Links
www.centerforthestudyoftraumaticstress.org/research.disaster.shtml
http://www.who.int/csr/don/en/
http://earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/index_e.php
http://www.joelskousen.com/Secure/recommended.html
Strong emotions on the front line
workers expected in traumatic incidents:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/traumaticincident/
APA's Disaster Psychiatry page:
http://www.psych.org/Resources/DisasterPsychiatry.aspx
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Courses,
Workshops and Experiential Learning
APA Courses in Toronto - May 2006
http://www.psych.org/edu/ann_mtgs/am/06/courses/index.cfm
Course #35 - Psychiatric Interventions in Disasters
and Public Health Emergencies: Theory to Practice
Course #61 - Disaster Psychiatry: Terrorism,
Trauma, and Things To Do
Course #65 - Personality and Political Behaviour
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Disaster Psychiatry Outreach
Tel: 212-598-9995, fax: 212-598-5957
E-mail: info@disasterpsych.org
THE ESSENTIALS OF DISASTER PSYCHIATRY:
A Training Course for Psychiatrists
Disaster Mental Health Overview Course
This free training course was
specifically developed for psychiatrists to help them identify and respond to
psychological issues following a disaster and/or terrorism event. The course
was prepared by DPO and is based on years of experience providing disaster
mental health services and consultations as well as the literature relevant to
these unique clinical situations.
Specific topics to be covered
include: an overview of the disaster response system, the goals of assessment
and screening, likely clinical syndromes, acute intervention, population
specific issues, medico-legal considerations, long-term consequences. In addition
to structured lectures, interactive exercises will offer participants a chance
to adjust their clinical style to this unique setting. By the conclusion of the
program, attendees should be able to:
* develop
a basic familiarity with the special clinical and research issues surrounding
the psychiatric and emotional effects of disasters on victims and relief
workers;
*
identify the major psychiatric symptoms and syndromes, which follow a disaster;
*
identify the various clinical options available in treating disaster victims;
*
identify the complexities of working at a disaster site; and
*
identify areas where research in disaster psychiatry is needed.
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Volunteer http://www.disasterpsych.org/volunteer
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