Interventions Following Mass Violence and Disasters Strategies for Mental Health Practice

by Ritchie, Elspeth Cameron; Watson, Patricia J.; Friedman, Matthew J.

• ISBN13: 9781593855895
• ISBN10: 1593855893
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-06-25
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

Grounded in the best science available, this essential volume presents practical guidelines for effective clinical intervention in the immediate, intermediate, and long-term aftermath of large-scale traumatic events. Vital lessons learned from a variety of mass traumas and natural disasters are incorporated into the book's thorough review of strategies for helping specific victim and survivor populations. The editors and authors include over 40 leading experts in disaster mental health. Of crucial importance, they clearly summarize the empirical evidence supporting each intervention and provide other guidance based on experience and consensus recommendations.

Author Biography

Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, MD, MPH, is Psychiatry Consultant to the U.S. Army Surgeon General. Her assignments and other missions have taken her to Korea, Somalia, Iraq, Israel, and Vietnam. An internationally recognized expert, Dr. Ritchie brings a unique public health approach to the management of disaster and combat mental health issues. She has published numerous articles on forensic, disaster, and military operational psychiatry.

Patricia J. Watson, PhD, is an Educational Specialist, National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School. At the National Center for PTSD, she collaborates with other national agencies and subject-matter experts to create publications for public and mental health interventions following large-scale terrorism, disasters, and pandemic flu. Special areas of professional interest include science-to-service interventions in disaster/terrorism events, early intervention treatments for trauma, the effects of childhood trauma on adult coping and development, trauma in children and adolescents, the interface between disability/injury and quality of life, and growth aspects of trauma.

Matthew J. Friedman, MD, PhD, is Executive Director, National Center for PTSD, and Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, Dartmouth Medical School. He has worked as a clinician and researcher for 30 years, and has published 15 books and over 140 chapters and scientific articles on stress and PTSD, biological psychiatry, psychopharmacology, and clinical outcome studies on depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and chemical dependency. Listed in The Best Doctors in America, he is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association; past president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, which awarded him its Lifetime Achievement Award; and Chair of the scientific advisory board of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Overview

Models of Early Intervention Following Mass Violence and Other Trauma

Preparation, Training, and Needs Assessment

Improving Resilience Trajectories Following Mass Violence and Disaster

Disaster Mental Health Training: Guidelines, Considerations, and Recommendations

Immediate Needs Assessment Following Catastrophic Disaster Incidents

Mental Health Interventions

Interventions for Traumatic Stress: Theoretical Basis

The Context of Providing Immediate Postevent Intervention

The Immediate Response to Disaster: Guidelines for Adult Psychological First Aid

Intermediate Interventions

Longer-Term Mental Health Interventions for Adults Following Disasters and Mass Violence

Consultation to Groups, Organizations, and Communities

On a Road Paved with Good Intentions, You Still Need a Compass: Monitoring and Evaluating Disaster Mental Health Services

Specific Situations and Populations

Interventions for Children and Adolescents Following Disasters

Rapid Development of Family Assistance Centers: Lessons Learned Following the September 11 Terrorist Attacks

Psychiatric Intervention for Medical and Surgical Patients Following Traumatic Injuries

Mitigation of Psychological Effects of Weapons of Mass Destruction

Promoting Disaster Recovery in Ethnic-Minority Individuals and Communities

Toward Understanding and Creating Systems of Postdisaster Care: A Case Study of New York's Response to the World Trade Center Disaster

Outreach Strategies: An Experiential Description of the Outreach Methodologies Used in the September 11 Disaster Response in New York

Creating an Agenda for the Future

Conducting Research on Mental Health Interventions

Mental Health and Behavioral Interventions for Victims of Disasters and Mass Violence: Caring, Planning, and Needs

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