People with Serious Mental Illness: Disaster Response and Recovery
DTAC Bulletin April 18, 2019
People with serious mental illness (SMI) are more likely to face challenges such as chronic health conditions and poverty. This issue of the DTAC Bulletin contains resources that highlight the importance of including and accounting for people with SMI during response and recovery phases of a disaster.
People With Serious Mental Illness (SMI): Disaster Response and Recovery
As noted in last month’s issue of this newsletter, a serious mental illness, or SMI, is a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that substantially interferes with or limits at least one major life activity. SMIs include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder.
As reported in The Lancet and by SAMHSA and the Census Bureau, even in non-disaster times, people with SMI are more likely to face challenges such as chronic health conditions and poverty. Among people with SMI, risk of homelessness has been estimated to be several times higher than in the overall population. As a result, people with SMI may face more, and more intense, stressors than the general public in times of disaster, when everyone’s resources are limited.
The following resources may help you understand the impact of disasters on people with SMI. They highlight the importance of including and accounting for people with SMI during response and recovery phases of a disaster.
Warning Signs and Risk Factors for Emotional Distress
Developed by SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline, this webpage provides information on the stressors involved in disasters, how disasters typically affect survivors, and signs that survivors may be having difficulty coping with their reactions. The page identifies individuals who may be at heightened risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder or emotional distress after a disaster, including people with chronic medical or mental illness and people with experience of trauma before the disaster.
Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
This SAMHSA webpage offers information to disaster behavioral health professionals about the reactions people may have and common signs of stress after experiencing a disaster. It discusses the importance of finding treatment for survivors who suffer from serious mental or emotional distress. It also links to additional resources about disasters and how they may affect people who experience them.
Disaster and Emergency Resources
This webpage from the National Alliance on Mental Illness describes the impact disasters can have on people with mental illness. It also provides information on several helplines that disaster behavioral health professionals can distribute to survivors with mental illness during the response and recovery phases of a disaster. Lastly, it links to many resources that provide more information on preparing for and coping with a crisis.
Emergency Management and Disaster Considerations for the Mentally Ill
Published in the Central United States Earthquake Consortium Journal, this article offers disaster planners information about the importance of including people with SMI in their disaster response and recovery plans. It discusses how people with SMI may be more severely affected by disasters and describes the importance of a multiagency cooperative effort when planning for and responding to the needs of people with mental illness.
How To Help in an Emotional Crisis
This American Psychological Association webpage provides the public with information on spotting the most common signs of an emotional crisis following an event such as a disaster. It also discusses the things an individual can do to help a loved one who may be experiencing a mental health crisis such as lending an ear and helping the person seek professional help.
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Subscribe to The Dialogue
The Dialogue is a quarterly e-newsletter that provides practical and down-to-earth information for disaster behavioral health coordinators, local service providers, federal agencies, and nongovernmental organizations. You can subscribe to the newsletter or contact the SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) by email at dtac@samhsa.hhs.gov to contribute an article to an upcoming issue.
Questions About the SAMHSA DTAC Bulletin?
The SAMHSA DTAC Bulletin is a monthly newsletter used to share updates in the field, post upcoming activities, and highlight new resources. For more information, please contact:
The views, opinions, and content expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
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