After any type of disaster, people feel relieved to be alive. But then they often feel stress, fear and anger. Most people will also find that they can't stop thinking about what happened. These feelings and memories aren't a sign of personal weakness. Most trauma survivors have stress reactions for days or weeks. But some people have long-term problems, including
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Depression
- Self-blame
- Suicidal thoughts
- Alcohol or drug abuse
If you've survived a disaster, talk to your family and friends when you are ready. Most people recover from trauma naturally over time. If your emotional reactions are getting in the way of your relationships, work, or other important activities, you might want to talk to a counselor or your doctor. Treatments are available.
- Common Reactions After Trauma(National Center for PTSD, Dept. of Veterans Affairs) - http://ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/ncdocs/fact_shts/fs_commonreactions.html
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Coping with a Traumatic Event(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.bt.cdc.gov/masscasualties/copingpub.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.bt.cdc.gov/masscasualties/es/copingpub.asp
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Coping with Traumatic Events
(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/coping-with-traumatic-events/index.shtml
- Are You Ready? Recovering from Disaster(Federal Emergency Management Agency) - http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/recovering_from_disaster.shtm
- Coping with Disaster(Federal Emergency Management Agency) - http://www.fema.gov/rebuild/recover/cope.shtm
- Mass Disasters, Trauma, and Loss(International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies) - http://www.istss.org/resources/disaster_trauma_and_loss.cfm
- Survivors of Natural Disasters and Mass Violence(National Center for PTSD, Dept. of Veterans Affairs) - http://ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/ncdocs/fact_shts/fs_survivors_disaster.html
- When Disaster Strikes...(American Psychiatric Association) - http://healthyminds.org/whendisasterstrikes.cfm
- 9/11's Health Effects Lingered for Years(09/10/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69134.html
- Anniversary Reactions(National Center for PTSD) - http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/ncdocs/fact_shts/fs_anniversary.html
- Bridge Collapse Resources(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dir/bridge_resources.htm
- Disasters: Mental Health Recommendations for Students and Colleges(American Psychiatric Association) - http://healthyminds.org/katrinatipsforcollege.cfm
- Handbook for Coping after Terrorism(Dept. of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime) - http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/infores/cat_hndbk/welcome.html
- Managing Your Mental Health Condition during a Disaster(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/mental-health/MH00124/METHOD=print
- Mental Health Resources for Coping with Natural Disasters(American Psychiatric Association) - http://healthyminds.org/copingwithstormdisasters.cfm
- Tips for Managing and Preventing Stress: A Guide for Emergency Response and Public Safety Workers(Center for Mental Health Services) - Links to PDF - http://download.ncadi.samhsa.gov/ken/pdf/KEN01-0098R/KEN01-0098R.pdf
- Tips for Parents and Caregivers on Media Coverage of Traumatic Events(National Child Traumatic Stress Network) - Links to PDF - http://www.nctsn.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/edu_materials/MediaTipsforParents.pdf
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Tips for People Living with Mental Illness in Uncertain Times(Mental Health America) - http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/coping-with-disaster/tips-for-people-living-with-mental-illnesses-in-uncertain-times/
Also available in Spanish http://www.nmha.org/index.cfm?objectid=E8DD82E7-1372-4D20-C8F76F7365F5AF3B
- Tips for Survivors of a Traumatic Event: Managing Your Stress(Center for Mental Health Services) - Links to PDF - http://download.ncadi.samhsa.gov/ken/pdf/NMH05-0209/NMH05-0209.pdf
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: The hidden cost of disasters: supporting those healers exposed to... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18703924&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Hurricane Katrina: the Jackson Veterans Affairs Medical Center experience. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18703904&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Exposure to Hurricane Katrina, post-traumatic stress disorder and birth outcomes. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18703903&tool=MedlinePlus
- Coping with Disasters -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=disasters[majr]+AND+(adaptation,psychological[mh]+OR+stress,psychological[mh]+OR+stress+disorders,post-traumatic[mh])+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Center for Mental Health Services - http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/
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Federal Emergency Management Agency - http://www.fema.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.fema.gov/spanish/index_spa.shtm
- Mental Health America - http://www.nmha.org/
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National Institute of Mental Health - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
- Coping with Disaster: Suggestions for Helping Children with Cognitive Disabilities(Administration for Children and Families) - http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/add/Sept11/addcoping.html
- FEMA for Kids(Federal Emergency Management Agency) - http://www.fema.gov/kids/
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Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters: What Parents Can Do(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/helping-children-and-adolescents-cope-with-violence-and-disasters-what-parents-can-do.shtml
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Helping Children Cope with Crisis: Activity Book(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/cope_with_crisis_book/sub1.cfm
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Helping Children Cope with Crisis: Just for Parents(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/cope_with_crisis_book/sub11.cfm
- Resources for Helping Children Cope with Trauma and Death(NYU Child Study Center) - Large PDF file - http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/aboutourkids_resources_helping_children_cope_trauma_death
- Terrorist Attacks and Children(National Center for PTSD, Dept. of Veterans Affairs) - http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/ncdocs/fact_shts/fs_children_disaster.html
- Tips for Talking to Children in Trauma: Interventions at Home for Preschoolers to Adolescents(Center for Mental Health Services) - Links to PDF - http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/tips/intervention.pdf
- After Disaster: What Teens Can Do(Center for Mental Health Services) - http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/KEN-01-0092/default.asp
- Parent Guidelines for Talking with Teenagers about War and Terrorism(Center for Mental Health Services) - http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/TraumaticEvents/teenagers.asp
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Coping with War and Terrorism: Tips for Older Adults(Mental Health America) - http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/coping-with-disaster/coping-with-war-and-terrorism-tips-for-older-adults/
Also available in Spanish http://www.nmha.org/index.cfm?objectid=E8D94F18-1372-4D20-C88C4FF530DD6ADE
- Guide for Older Adults(Center for Mental Health Services) - http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/KEN-01-0094/default.asp
- Disaster Preparation and Recovery - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/disasterpreparationandrecovery.html
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/posttraumaticstressdisorder.html
- Disasters - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/disasters.html
- Mental Health and Behavior - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealthandbehavior.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Coping with Disasters is the National Institute of Mental Health - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
Coping with Disasters - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/copingwithdisasters.html