Guidance Note for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support: Haiti Earthquake Emergency Response - January 2010

Cette note d'orientation est fondée sur les Directives du Comité Permanent Interorganisations (CPI/IASC) concernant la santé mentale et le soutien psychosocial dans les situations dÆurgence. Ce document met en évidence les aspects des lignes directrices qui sont particulièrement pertinents pour la réponse d'urgence suite au tremblement de terre de janvier 2010 en Haïti. Il fournit des orientations aux organisations travaillant en Haïti sur la façon dont ils peuvent communiquer plus adéquatement avec les communautés, leur propre personnel et les médias. La note d'orientation se concentre principalement sur la phase aiguë de la réponse (y compris la récupération précoce) et fournit des conseils de base pour l'action.

Psychosocial interventions: A handbook

Ce manuel est lÆaboutissement dÆune analyse approfondie des interventions psychosociales, et en plus particulièrement des leçons tirées de la réponse psychosociale après le tsunami de lÆOcéan Indien de 2004. Il a été conçu pour les praticiens psychosociaux qui planifient une intervention psychosociale en réponse à une crise ou un événement grave. Après le premier chapitre, qui introduit les concepts qui sont au centre des interventions psychosociales, le manuel contient quatre chapitres qui abordent des aspects-clés de la planification et la réalisation dÆinterventions psychosociales. Des recommandations sont incluses tout au long du manuel. Il s'agit de la version anglaise du document.

La experiencia en la atención médica a víctimas de desastres relacionados con el desarrollo tecnológico

El manejo de los servicios médicos de PEMEX para atender situaciones de desastre está previsto dentro de un marco amplio que incluye planes de organización y funcionamiento diferentes, de acuerdo a la unidad médica de que se trate y con el entrenamiento, medicamentos, equipo y material adecuados a los tipos de desastre tecnológico que pueden presentarse en las diferentes ramas e instalaciones de la empresa. Se reconoce que los buenos resultados de estos programas, sólo se logran mediante una preparación constante y actualizada de todo el personal y prácticas frecuentes por grupos de trabajo y en simulacros generales. Todas estas actividades deberán ser evaluadas criticamente para permitir la corrección y perfeccionamiento del sistema. Los desastres tecnológicos a diferencia de los naturales tienen la ventaja relativa de que en muchos casos pueden prevenirse o por lo menos disminuir o limitar sus efectos dañinos, pero si se está preparado para ello (AU)

Lessons from the aftermath of flight 232 : Practical considerations for the mental health profession's response to air disasters

The fiery crash of a DC-10 at Sioux City, Iowa, on July 19, 1989, caused a crisis of major proportions, with attendant mental health needs. Various articles have described the need for psychological response teams in such crises. The present article provides practical guidelines for the preparation of a mental health disaster plan and for the coordination of a mental health team responding to a major air disaster. Such disasters can occur in any part of the country at any time. It is hoped that the suggestions in the present article will help teams that respond to future air disasters provide more rapid effective, and efficient delivery of services to the survivors and their families, and to the families of those who are killed

Consecuencias psicosociales de los desastres : La experiencia latinoamericana

Esta obra tiene como objetivo reunir la experiencia latinoamericana en desastres y salud mental y representa la continuación de los esfuerzos del Programa de Cooperación Internacional en Salud Mental "Simón Bolivar". Esta dividida en cinco secciones: en la primera se analizan aspectos generales de los desastres desde los puntos de vista de salud pública, conceptual e investigativo; en la segunda se describen aspectos clínicos de las víctimas de desastres con enfoques individual y clínico; la tercera, "La atención en salud mental para las victimas de desastres", pone de relieve las funciones complementarias que tienen los trabajadores de atención primaria, salud general y salud mental; en la cuarta, "Aspectos sociales y organizativos de los desastres", se enfocan cuestiones de tipo comunal y social; la quinta y última, "Educación, consultoria y capacitación en salud mental para desastres", abarca los problemas de la formación de recursos humanos en salud mental

Mental health responses in a Decade of Disasters : Australia, 1974-1983

Between 1974 and 1983, Australia experienced the Darwin cyclone, the Granville rail disasater, and the Ash Wednesday bushfires, each of which killed more than 60 people and caused significant emotional distress. Mental health response systems developed in the wake of the disasters varied in their level of sophistication and degree of acceptance, but they generally became better orchestrated and appreciated with each disaster. Lessons learned from research and review following one disaster were often applied in responding to the next. Research and review were particularly crucial in uncovering the presence of significant morbidity, including posttraumatic stress disorder, among relief workers and children and in highlighting the need for coordination of mental health services with other relief efforts. Many jurisdictions in Australia have since modified their disasater relief plans to include mental health services

Assessing and managing the psychologic impact of terrorism, civil disorder, disasters, and mass casualties

Emergency medical personnel should have an overview of the psychologic impact of catastrophic events on those involved in such an incident. The clinical intervention strategies in this article are based on sound principles of psychologic crisis intervention. It should not be assumed, that they can be applied to all people under all circumstances with equal success. They are offered, therefore, merely as a guideline for emergency personnel and not as a set of hard and fast rules

A specific military installation for treatment of combat reactions during the war in Lebanon

A survey of the activity in a specific military installation for the threatment of combat reactions during the war in Lebanon is presented the installation was planned and staff trained according to lessons learned durind and after the Yom Kippur War. The installation was situated in an army campament the north of Israel and funtioned as a second echelon of psychiatric threatment of soldiers who suffered from combat reactions. The duration of threatment was from a few days to a maximun stay of 14 day. The three main threatment principles of: 1) Environment; 2) Activity and activation; and 3) Group setting are described in the tall. Some chances which were introduced in the therapeutic regime and policy. Which diverged from the planned model are discussed. The authors regard the purpose of this special military installation to be basically sound and effective, from both the theoretical and practical points of view

Planning for mental health counter disaster services Victoria's experience of Ash Wednesday

The disaster planning framework prior to the ash wednesday bushfires in southern Australia in Feb 1983 was broad in its coverage but included only a nominal psychological component. The subsequent activities of men tal health teams showed that a number of roles and styles of service delivery can be utilized in providing assistance to a large scale community disaster. As the services evolved from a predisaster planning vacuum, considerable improvisation was required to integrate the mental health program with other community recovery processes. This experience produced some innovative and valuable strategies for mental health intervention in future disasters

The role and reactions of a mental health team involved in the Victorian buhfire aftermath

The reactions of a volunteer mental health team which convened in the aftermath of the 1983 ash Wednesday bushfires are reported. A question naire designed to explore psychological and physical responses was completed by all of the 19 staff who made up the team. Using both open ended and closed questions, the questionnaire tapped such areas as motivation, goals, Expectations and observations, initial and later emotional and psysical reactions, fantasies and evoked memories; an evaluation of the service and the experience was also included. Analysis of responses in dictated that team members experienced considerable stress during their post-disaster work but also gained a great deal on both professional and personal levels. Sources of stress are discussed as are recommendations for their alleviation (AU)

When disaster strikes : The critical incident stress debriefing process

Major disasters over the past five years have brought attention to the fact that rescue workers themselves can become psychological casualties from the overwhelming carnage and suffeng they witness. The Critical Incident Stress Debriefing is a simple, but effective tool to help the emergency worker cope with what he has seen, and continue a productive career with minimal long-term effects

Recovery from rescue

Techniques have been developed to help rescuers cope with overwhelming stress before and after emergencies

Emergency mental health services during and after a major aircraft accident

A major commercial aircraft accident mobilizes a sophisticated disaster response by the federal government and local disaster teams. However, these is no effort to deal with the significant mental health needs of survivors, airline crew, ground personnel, and rescuers. The time has come to deal with the human tragedy and its emotional consequences. The development of an emergency protocol for response to mental health crises at the time of an accident must by confronted. An appropriate response on the part of the mental health community must address all persons involved in the accident. Management would involve a relatively brief length of time. Team members can include psychiatrists, physicians, nurses, psychiatric aides, airline representatives, clergy, and other trained personnel. The establishment of such a mental health preparedness program in crisis intervention must be the responsibility of the airlines, federal agencies, and others if the program is to be a success (AU)