Mental Health After Natural Disasters and Emergencies
Natural disasters are acts of nature that cause destruction to a person’s environment, disrupts daily life and can have significant impacts on a person’s physical and mental health. Disasters can include events such as mouse plagues, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, fires, droughts, and heat waves (Mara, 2004).
Here in Australia, we experience many of these disasters and emergencies, sometimes even at the same time. Nearly 160 million people are affected by natural disasters each year (WHO, 2012). Natural disasters can impact a person’s wellbeing and health long-term.
Natural disasters can cause:
- loss of livelihood, such as employment or housing
- loss of social cohesion, such as community separation and limited social resources
- loss of cultural identity, from physical displacement or destruction of important cultural sites (Mara, 2004).
All of these factors can impact significantly on the wellbeing of individuals and communities.
Natural disasters may cause psychological impact but may
cause different responses for different people. These psychological impacts
cover emotional, mental, and physical reactions.
Common emotional reactions include:
- fear
- anger
- guilt
- sadness
- numbness
- helplessness
- feeling overwhelmed
Common mental reactions include:
- trouble concentrating or remembering things
- shortened attention span
- confusion
- difficulty making decisions
- nightmares
Common physical reactions include:
- trouble sleeping
- tension
- increased or decreased appetite
- racing heartbeat
- fatigue
- headaches
It is also common for a person to experience distrustfulness
of those around them and increased conflict (Labadee & Bennett, 1978).
These acute stress responses may last several weeks or up to a month and will vary from person to person.
Those who experience, or have experienced, anxiety,
depression, or trauma before a natural disaster may be particularly vulnerable
to these reactions (WHO, 2019).
If you or those around you are experiencing chronic and prolonged stress lasting more than a month or are experiencing significant distress that may include thoughts of suicide or self-harm, it is important to seek help from a mental health professional. Even though the immediate natural disaster or emergency may have passed, mental health impacts can continue for some time afterwards.
- Spend time with loved ones such as friends and family
- Establish a daily routine such as eating breakfast or sleeping
- Do activities that you enjoy such as reading or drawing
- Talk to someone about what you are experiencing
- Empathise with others and offer emotional support if you are able to
- Seek out community resources or groups
- Acknowledge your resilience and strengths (Fetsch et al., 2013)
- Recognise when you are experiencing stress
- Remember that it takes time to cope
- Write down an action plan in small and manageable pieces
Professionals
- General practitioner (GP)—a GP is always a good starting point for locating support and further referrals to more specialist professionals.
- Psychologist— A health professional who prescribes therapy or counselling as treatment for mental health problems.
- Psychiatrist—A medical practitioner with specialist training in psychiatry who is able to prescribe medication for medical conditions.
- Social worker—A social worker is a health professional who provides support to people and their families going through a crisis point, and is able to provide practical support, counselling, information and emotional support.
- Counsellor—A counsellor is a health professional who provides supportive listening and emotional support to individuals dealing with difficulties of varied nature as well as support given to families.
- Mental health nurse— A specialised type of nurse who cares for people with mental illness. The term ‘psychiatric nurse’ is also used.
- Mental health team—Community mental health teams comprise of multi-disciplinary professionals and provide comprehensive mental health services to people experiencing mental illness.
- NSW Mental Health Line: 1800 011 511 (24/7 to get in touch with local mental health service).
Hospitals
Hospitals often have acute mental health wards to help people experiencing acute mental health symptoms.
Family and Friends
Family and friends can be of great support to someone experiencing a mental illness and help link to support services in the community.
Religious leaders
Religious leaders can provide guidance, counselling and help link people to further support services in the community.
Support Group Coordinator
A person who has specialised knowledge in a specific area of mental health and organises a group of consumers to meet together and gain social and emotional support with their illness.
Fetsch, R. J., Koppel, E., & Fruhauf, C. A (2013). Coping with Natural Disasters. Colorado State University Extension.
Labadee, B., & Bennett, E. (1978). Chapter 7 Recognizing Normal Psychological Reactions to Disasters. Pan American Health Organization, 57–62. https://www.paho.org/disasters/index.php?option=com_docman&view=download&category_slug=books&alias=1978-mental-health-and-psychosocial-support-in-disaster-situations-in-the-caribbean-chapter-7&Itemid=1179&lang=en.
Mara, D. (2004). Environmental Health in Emergencies and Disasters: A Practical Guide: B. Wisner and J. Adams (Eds), World Health Organization, Geneva, 2002, xx+ 252 pp., paperback, ISBN: 92-4-154541-0.
World Health Organization (2012). “Natural Events”. World Health Organization, August 24, 2012. https://www.who.int/environmental_health_emergencies/natural_events/en/.
World Health Organization (2019). “Mental Health in Emergencies”. World Health Organization, June 11, 2019. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-in-emergencies.
https://www.lifeline.org.au/get-help/topics/recovering-after-a-natural-disaster
https://headspace.org.au/assets/Uploads/After-a-natural-disaster.pdf
https://www.abc.net.au/reslib/201101/r706905_5485380.pdf
https://www.fema.gov/pdf/areyouready/recovering_from_disaster.pdf
https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/recovering-disasters
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/principals/community/ndisreactions.pdf
Disclaimer
This information is for educational purposes. As neither brochures nor websites can diagnose people it is always important to obtain professional advice and/or help when needed.
This information may be reproduced with an acknowledgement to WayAhead – Mental Health Association.
The Association encourages feedback and welcomes comments about the information provided.
- In an emergency please call 000
- Mental Health Line – 1800 011 511 – 24 hr service across NSW
Lifeline
13 11 14
Men’s Line
1300 789 978
Kids Helpline (children 5-25 years)
1800 551 800
Suicide Call Back Service
1300 659 476
Mental Health Carers NSW
1300 554 660
Carers Australia
1800 242 636
Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW Inc
02 9879 2600
Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres
1800 052 222
BeyondBlue
1300 224 636
SANE Australia
1800 187 263
Mental Health Advocacy Service (Legal Aid)
02 9745 4277
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