Trauma and Disaster Responses and Management

In our increasingly dangerous world-brought into urgent
focus by the September 11, 2001, attacks-the need to manage the psychiatric
consequences of traumatic events and disasters has never been greater.


The editors of this powerful reference summarize our current
understanding of the complex psychological, behavioral, and social responses
to disaster, and present a compelling case for intensifying our focus on
delivery and intervention efforts.

In just five chapters, 16
distinguished contributors examine the impact of trauma from the personal to
the community level. This critical book


* reviews the neurobiologic and neuroanatomic responses to severe
traumatic events, focusing on posttraumatic stress disorder to show how an
initially adaptive response becomes maladaptive by producing long-term
adverse consequences.
* discusses the psychiatric epidemiology of
disaster, presenting a guide for clinicians in identifying and following
groups at high risk for developing psychiatric disorders and an empirical
blueprint for developing community interventions.
* details the impact
of traumatic stressors on children, using the 9/11 terrorist attacks to
illustrate many points and debunking the myth that children are more
resilient than adults-thus reinforcing their assertion that we need to
improve the delivery of mental health services to traumatized
children.
* presents material from an international consensus conference
on the psychological interventions following mass violence, reviewing the
psychological impact of disasters (including risk and protective factors)
and acute interventions for trauma (e.g., psychological debriefing,
treatment of traumatic grief, pharmacotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy,
and interventions for children).
* concludes with the special dilemmas
posed by weapons of mass destruction, including chemical, biological,
nuclear, radiological, and high-yield explosives, discussing the attributes
that make these weapons especially effective as instruments of terror and
offering recommendations on how nations can enhance preparedness against
these weapons.

This volume is a must-read for educators, students,
residents, clinicians, and social workers-in short, anyone interested in
helping to heal the psychological fallout from traumatic events and
disasters.