Intervention and Resilience after Mass Trauma

Traumatic events and disasters are an unexpected but not uncommon aspect of our lives. This book describes the field of disaster mental and behavioral health and is directed at fostering resilience and recovery, whilst recognizing that such events lead to mental illness, distress and health risk behaviors, all of which should be planned for and considered in early interventions. Psychological first aid is discussed, as well as the potential role of psychopharmacology and the relevance of culture in the setting of the disaster. This is essential reading for clinicians who might be involved in a mass trauma situation, along with educators and students in the increasing numbers of educational programs relating to the preparation and response to mass trauma and disaster situations. It should be read by policy makers and public health specialists who must understand the impact of disaster on the person and the systems in which we live.

• Describes the field of disaster mental and behavioral health and fosters resilience and recovery • Includes contributions from outstanding international experts in one volume with up-to-date in-depth analysis of the topic • Features a CD-ROM showing the original presentations from the conference on which the book is based

Contents

Dedication; List of contributors; Foreword; Preface; 1. Systems, science and populations, effective early mental health, intervention following mass trauma: the roles of government, clinicians and communities Beverley Raphael; 2. Factors in the development of community resilience to disasters Rose L. Pfefferbaum, Dori B. Reissman, Betty Pfefferbaum, Karen Fraser Wyche, Fran H. Norris and Richard W. Klomp; 3. Psychological first aid Patricia J. Watson; 4. Acute stress disorder and early interventions after trauma Richard A. Bryant; 5. The role of pharmacotherapy in early interventions Matthew J. Friedman; 6. Should culture considerations influence early intervention? Carl C. Bell; 7. Resilience is the default: how not to miss it? Arieh Y. Shalev and Yael Errera; 8. Epilogue – early intervention for individuals and communities: Planning for the future while meeting present needs Robert J. Ursano and Michael Blumenfield.

Contributors

Joseph T. English, Michael Blumenfield, Robert J. Ursano, Beverley Raphael, Rose L. Pfefferbaum, Dori B. Reissman, Betty Pfefferbaum, Karen Fraser Wyche, Fran H. Norris, Richard W. Klomp, Patricia J. Watson, Richard A. Bryant, Matthew J. Friedman, Carl C. Bell, Arieh Y. Shalev, Yael Errera