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Disaster Psychology. Unit Objectives. Describe the disaster and post - disaster emotional environment. Describe the steps that rescuers can take to relieve their own stress and those of disaster survivors. Unit Objectives.
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Unit Objectives • Describe the disaster and post - disaster emotional environment. • Describe the steps that rescuers can take to relieve their own stress and those of disaster survivors.
Unit Objectives Objective One: Describe the disaster and the post-disaster emotional environment.
Team Well-Being Stressful Situations “The First Responder will experience personal stress as well as encounter patients and bystanders in severe stress.”
Psychological Symptoms • Irritability, anger • Isolation, withdrawal • Feeling stunned, numb, overwhelmed, or helpless • Mood swings • Sadness, depression, grief, denial • Concentration, memory problems • Relationship conflicts/marital discord
Physiological Symptoms • Loss of appetite • Headaches, chest pain • Diarrhea, stomach pain, nausea • Hyperactivity • Increase in alcohol or drug consumption • Nightmares • Inability to sleep • Fatigue, low energy
Team Well-Being CERT team leaders should: • Provide pre-disaster stress management training. • Brief personnel before response. • Emphasize teamwork. • Encourage breaks & provide for proper nutrition. • Rotate teams. • Phase out workers gradually. • Conduct a brief discussion. • Arrange for a post-event debriefing.
Stress Team Well-Being
Amputations Mass casualties Pediatric patients Common Causes of Stress Infant/child elder/spouse abuse Violence Death Death / injury of coworker Infant/child trauma
Reducing Stress Team Well-Being
Promoting Team Well-Being Team Well-Being
Team Well-Being Reducing Stress • Get enough sleep. • Exercise. • Eat a balanced diet. • Balance work, play, and rest. • Connect with others. • Use spiritual resources. • Allow yourself to receive as well as give.
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Seven phases: • Introduction and a description • Review of the factual material • Sharing of initial thoughts/feelings • Sharing of emotional reactions to the incident • Instruction about normal stress reactions • Review of the symptoms • Closing and further needs assessment
Unit Objectives Objective Two: Describe the steps that rescuers can take to relieve their own stress and those of disaster survivors.
Emotional Phases of a Disaster Survivors go through 4 emotional phases following a disaster: • Impact • Inventory • Rescue • Recovery
Traumatic Crisis An event in which people experience or witness: • Actual or potential death or injury to self or others. • Serous injury. • Destruction of homes, neighborhood, or valued possessions. • Loss of contact with family/close relationships.
Traumatic Stress Traumatic stress may affect: • Cognitive functioning. • Physical health. • Interpersonal reactions.
Phases of a Crisis Personal factors affecting survivors’ reactions • Prior experience with crisis events • Intensity of the disruption in their lives • Length of time between event and the present • Individual feelings of fear or helplessness • Individual emotional strength
Stabilizing the Survivor • Assess the survivors for injury and shock. • Get uninjured people involved in helping. • Provide support by: • Listening. • Empathizing. • Help survivors connect with natural support systems.
Managing the Death Scene • Cover the body; treat it with respect. • Have one family member look at the body and decide if the rest of the family should see it. • Allow family members to hold or spend time with the deceased. • Let the family grieve.
A victim of a disaster cannot find her 2 year old daughter who was with her at the store when a tornado struck causing major damage to the building. She has been looking desperately for 2 hours and is now distraught and hard to console. What do you say?
You are in the Treatment Sector of the CERT operation and you are caring for a patient who has a head wound and is acting very agitated, yelling, calling you names, telling you to leave him alone, and attempting to leave the area. What do you say and do?
You find the owner/operator of a large pet shelter sitting on the curb outside of her burned down shelter holding a cat, and staring off into the distance. You learn that the cat is the only animal known to have survived. What do you say and do for her?
In the shelter where you are volunteering, you find an elderly woman holding her spouse of 52 years who within the last couple of hours passed away of what was said to be a heart attack. You were told that she has been sitting there holding him close since he died. What do you say and do for her?
You are in the Treatment Sector of the CERT operation and have been working for 12 hours. Your buddy becomes extremely emotional, crying, sobbing uncontrollably, saying that she can’t handle it anymore and she wishes she had been killed. What do you say?
You have to tell a victim who has been looking for his parents since the earthquake shook the town that you have just learned his father has died of injuries sustained. What do you say?
You and your buddy have been given the Triage assignment when the two of you come upon a close friend of your partner who is not breathing. He wants to triage them as RED and you know that he should be tagged BLACK because he did not begin breathing after 2 attempts at opening his airway. Your partner begins to argue with you and becomes very upset. What do you say and do?
What do you say to the victim who has lost her house and all of her belongings during the wild fires and says that she doesn’t know what she is going to do or where to turn?
Stabilizing the Survivor Avoid Saying. . . . . • “I understand.” • “Don’t feel bad.” • “You’re strong/You’ll get through this.” • “Don’t cry.” • “It’s God’s will.” • “It could be worse” or “At least you still have . . .”
