MODULE 6:PSYCHO-SOCIAL & MENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS OF DISASTER

social disruption and psychological effects

experiencing disaster event causes:

terror or horror experiences

happens when one's own life is threatened or exposed to disturbing sights which will led to having PTSD

traumatic bereavement

happens when beloved friends or family member die due to disaster, thus resulting to psychological disturbances.

disruption of normal living

most difficult to quantify due to variation of one disaster to another.

anthrax scare

a man-made disaster that causes psychological maladaptive behavior. designed as psychological attack and an effective weapon of terror.

psychological maladaptive behavior

a behavior that interfere's with an individual's daily activities or ability to adjust

knowledge on public and private mental health resources

key to effective crisis management

infants

they sense their parent's anxiety and fear thus, they will tend to mirror their parent's reaction to disaster

pre-school children

they exhibit extreme helplessness, pasitivity, and lack of responsiveness to things in environment. high level of generalized fear, nightmares, terrors, excessive crying, and irritability.

school-aged children

they are more cognitively and emotionally mature but remain vulnerable to stress. Classical symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorder may be present.

adolescents

they respond disaster much same to adult. May exhibit decline in academic performance, rebellion at home or school, and social withdrawal.

crisis intervention

occurs when usual coping mechanisms fail and resulted to impairment or dysfunction of activities of the individuals. It must be well-documented to be effective in reducing stress.

mental health

it includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. it affects how we think, feel, and act.

well-being

includes global judgements of life satisfaction and feelings raging from depression to joy. it tells that people lives are going well.

heroic phase

a strong andrenalin rush is felt to help family and other people in time of event.

honeymoon phase

feeling of unified, survivors are grateful and the community pulls together to cope up with the disaster.

disillusionment phase

there's an apparent depression and hopelessness, as the reality of how life change after the disaster strikes.

reconstruction phase

intense emotions are now replaced by sense of acceptance, increasing independence, and emotional reinvestment in relationship and activities of daily life.

approachablity

it is the most basic quality for a PFA helper.

trustworthy

it is the most critical characteristics among PFA

active listening

useful quality of PFA

commitment

need to pursue the role until the last stage of client's recovery.