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Source: http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/ptsd/content/article/10168/1727726
Psychiatric Times. Vol. 27 No. 11
Disaster Psychiatry
What Psychiatrists Need to Know
By Anthony T. Ng, MD | November 17, 2010
Dr Ng is medical director of psychiatric emergency services at Acadia Hospital in Bangor, Me, and assistant professor of psychiatry at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. He reports no conflicts of concerning the subject matter of this article.
Disasters and public health emergencies, such as epidemics, can lead to significant community-wide disruptions. Appreciation of the psychiatric consequences of disasters and public health emergencies has increased significantly in the past decade. The most commonly reported symptoms after a disaster are sleeplessness; anxiety; depression; and constant, overwhelming bereavement.1 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and substance abuse are more prevalent in communities in which traumatic events have occurred.2-4 The Institute of Medicine Committee on Responding to the Psychological Consequences of Terrorism noted the importance of focusing not only on disaster pathologies but also on disaster stress behaviors...
Psychiatric Times. Vol. 27 No. 11
Disaster Psychiatry
What Psychiatrists Need to Know
By Anthony T. Ng, MD | November 17, 2010
Dr Ng is medical director of psychiatric emergency services at Acadia Hospital in Bangor, Me, and assistant professor of psychiatry at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. He reports no conflicts of concerning the subject matter of this article.
Disasters and public health emergencies, such as epidemics, can lead to significant community-wide disruptions. Appreciation of the psychiatric consequences of disasters and public health emergencies has increased significantly in the past decade. The most commonly reported symptoms after a disaster are sleeplessness; anxiety; depression; and constant, overwhelming bereavement.1 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and substance abuse are more prevalent in communities in which traumatic events have occurred.2-4 The Institute of Medicine Committee on Responding to the Psychological Consequences of Terrorism noted the importance of focusing not only on disaster pathologies but also on disaster stress behaviors...