Mental Health and Disasters, Essay Example

One way to promote mental health in both pre and post-disaster period is by adapting either an agent specific or all hazards approach.Communities that used the agent-specific approach aimed at organizing preparedness activities in anticipation of threats, which may occur within a specific geographic location. In the all hazards conceptual model disaster preparedness focuses on incorporating specific management components. It is my opinion that the all hazards approach may be useful in relation to pre and post disaster periods for mental health care planning(Veenema, 2007).

For example, in cases of hurricanes; earthquakes and storms while mental health patients should be informed about changes in the weather that could affect their health as well as social life.Communicating this information must be through a case manager or professional trained to psychologically support the individual after breaking the news. Enough medications and foodmust be available to mental health patients in the event that accessing pharmacies and stores becomes difficult(Veenema, 2007).

Importantly, mental health care workers should anticipate communication difficulties. Therefore, addressing operational conditions, specifically, related to managing an effective triage, transportation and evacuation services is an essential pre-disaster planning requirement.Also, accommodating other non-medical members of the security disaster planning team to enhance coordination of activities is very important (Veenema, 2007).

For the post disaster period mental health care practitioners must collaborate with all hazard management teams to search for mentally ill patients who have escaped from shelters or been injured due to the disaster. Care should be prioritizes as triage interventions are executed. When necessary, arrangements must be made for transporting patientsto nearest hospitals after assessing storm damage on health care facilities, which could affect accommodating them immediately (Veenema, 2007).

Mental health patients would respond diffidently to disaster from normal people. While becoming apathetic they can resist instructions by expressing violent tendencies. Consequently, follow up care for crisis is essential in limiting the number of aftermath casualties

Work Cited

Veenema, Tenner. Disaster nursing and emergency preparedness. For chemical, biological, and radiological terrorism and other hazards. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company. 2007. Print