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MHPSS

The document discusses how disasters affect mental health and psychosocial conditions. It provides objectives to give an understanding of the impact of disasters on individuals and communities from a mental health perspective. The learning outcomes include describing the impact on well-being and demonstrating knowledge of disaster mental health and psychosocial support concepts.

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Van Tot
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125 views11 pages

MHPSS

The document discusses how disasters affect mental health and psychosocial conditions. It provides objectives to give an understanding of the impact of disasters on individuals and communities from a mental health perspective. The learning outcomes include describing the impact on well-being and demonstrating knowledge of disaster mental health and psychosocial support concepts.

Uploaded by

Van Tot
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Effective response in the aftermath of disasters requires an understanding of their impact on people and

their communities. In this session, we will think of the many ways disasters affect people.

OBJECTIVE

To provide you with a


basic understanding of how
disasters affect the
mental health and
psychosocial conditions of
affected individuals and
population with a
discussion on
the cases of at-risk
groups.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Describe the impact of disasters


and emergencies to mental health and
wellbeing, basic knowledge in
humanitarian principles and process
in relation to MHPSS
LEARNING OUTCOMES

2. Demonstrate knowledge of the


basic concepts of disaster mental
health and psychosocial support
Say: Post the Manila paper on the board/wall. We will give each group a minute to present a summary of
your outputs.

Communit
y

Family

Individual

Earthquake
A 7.2-magnitude earthquake killed 222 people and
injured 877. It also damaged the municipal hall,
hospitals, a school, old churches, and roads,
and left many towns without power for a week.
The impact on
the economy is pegged to be at PhP 52
million.
Scenarios

Typhoon
A 210 kph typhoon left a death toll of 1,067, with 834 still missing.
Moreover, 2,666 persons were injured and 6.24 million persons or
711,682 families were affected. The typhoon destroyed P36.95
billion worth of infrastructure (P7-57B), agricultural products
(P26.53), and private properties (P2.86B), including 216,817 houses.

Fire A 10 hour-fire spread rapidly, razing more than 1,000


makeshift houses and leaving 15,000 people
homeless and without access to food and
water.

Armed Conflict
Scenarios
A protracted armed-conflict situationthat displaced 200 families,
including learners occurred in an IP community. Classes at
all levels were suspended for almost a month and still
no advised for resumption. The incident has developed
post traumatic syndrome among affected IP learners.

Civilian
Violence
An assailant entered the school with 535 learners and
14 school personnel during the class period. One learner died
of gunshot while the entire class, including the adviser have
witnessed the heartbreaking incident.
Say: The impact of emergencies and disasters cover a wide spectrum : physical to non- tangible likewise,
the help we can provide also covers a wide range of help; basic needs and psychological needs focus on
mental health needs

MENTAL HEALTH AND


PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT

Any type of local or outside support


that aims to protect or promote
psychosocial well-being and/or
prevent or treat mental disorder.

Grief The psychological-emotional


experience following a loss, while Loss is
the sense of sadness, fear and insecurity
we feel when a loved person is absent. It
can also be felt for things and place.

Why do we grieve? We
grieve because we love.

Loss

The central experience of any


disaster: everyone has lost
someone or something they
love
Say:

Mourning Practices: -wearing black, wake, -Hinduism, death is not mourned


How does disaster affect mourning
practices? Disaster disrupts the possibility
of appropriate mourning:
• Normal rituals are impossible to carry out
because of lack
of resources and facilities Bodies are
treated inappropriately There
is
uncertainty over missing people
There may be mass graves
• There are no markers
The practice of mourning might have reduced
significance
given the context
• The social networks are destroyed
• There is desire to remain connected

Effect of disasters on
mental health

Emergencies
erode normally protective
supports increase the risks of
diverse problems
tend to amplify pre-existing problems of
social injustice and inequality
General principles of disaster
mental health
• Everyone who sees a disaster is
affected by it.
• Target population is
primarily normal.
• How people have coped with
crises in their
past will be a good indicator of how
they will handle the disaster.
People do not disintegrate
in response to disaster.
Disturbance is
transitory.
• Disaster relief procedures have
been called
the "Second
Disaster."

in
General principles of disaster mental
health
• Disaster stress reactions may be immediate or
delayed.
• People respond to active interest
and concern.
• Informed early intervention can speed up
recovery and
prevent serious or long-term
problems.
The family is the first line of support for
individuals.
Support systems are crucial
to recovery.
• A response program must be aligned
with the
community's needs and dynamic, for it to be
accepted. A disaster can bring out the best
and the worst in people.

Mental health and


psychosocial concerns
during
disasters

PSYCHOLOGICAL ✓ PRE-EXISTING:e.g.
severe mental disorder; alcohol abuse) ✓
EMERGENCY-INDUCED : e.g. grief, non
pathological distress; depression and anxiety
disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD); ✓ HUMANITARIAN AID-RELATED :
e.g. anxiety due to a lack of information about
food distribution)
Mental health and
psychosocial concerns
during disasters
SOCIAL

✓ PRE-EXISTING:e.g. extreme poverty;


discrimination/marginalization; political
oppression. ✓ EMERGENCY-INDUCED : e.g.
family separation; disruption of social networks;
destruction of community structures, resources and
trust; increased gender-based violence); ✓
HUMANITARIAN AID-INDUCED : e.g.
undermining of community structures or traditional
support mechanisms

Impact of disasters to children


(Individual child) ✓ Basic needs not
met ✓ Normal routines disrupted ✓
Psychological disturbance ✓
Exposure to danger
Say: Child in the Family ○ Helplessness of Heads of families and reversal of roles ○ Inability

to provide proper guidance ○ Inability of the parents to protect their children ○ Separation

due to death ○ Increase of Domestic violence

Say: Child in the community ○ Community values are change ○ Inability to go to schools and
other damaged facilities ○ Social roles and relationships are changed ○ Unintended loss of

access to services due to sanction on


government and, rebel groups

Say: ● They feel a strong responsibility to the family. ● They may feel guilt and shame that

they were unable to help those who were hurt. ● They may feel intense grief. ● They may

become self-absorbed and feel self-pity. ● They may experience changes in their

relationships with other people. ● They may also start taking risks, engage in self-destructive

behavior, have avoidant behavior, and become aggressive. ● They may experience major shifts

in their view of the world accompanied by a sense of hopelessness about the present and the

future. ● They may become defiant of authorities and parents, while they start
relying on peers for socializing
Say: Both community and individual responses to a major disaster tend to progress according to
phases. An interaction of psychological processes with external events shapes these phases.
Examples of significant time-related external events are the closure of the emergency response phase.
The damage assessment of one’s personal residence, or receiving financial determinations.

Phases of disasters Threat phase (Days


before the actual incident or no warning at
all): ✓ Preparing for or ignoring warning
signs ✓ Feeling vulnerable, unsafe, and fearful
of future for unpredicted tragedies.

Impact phase
(Day 1 to 3):
Getting over the destruction and its
effects depends on the extent: greater
scope, greater psychosocial effects

Phases of
disasters

Dulu

Disillusionment phase
(Several months to over a
year):
delays and failures resulting in
frustration. ✓ confusion in the
bureaucracy ✓ people rebuilding
their own lives and a solving their
own problems. ✓ survivors realizing
they have lots to do by themselves and
their lives may never be the same
again.

Phases of disasters
Reorganization and recovery
phase (Several years): ✓
Coordinated individual and
community effort to rebuild and
reestablish normalcy; ✓ normal
functioning is gradually
reestablished.
Say: Based on what we have discussed and what you have written on your circles, can you
identify and share with the group which of the impacts you have mentioned are related to disaster
mental health?
Do: Synthesize their responses based on the lecture about disaster mental health.

Key Messages

A disaster can bring out the best and the


worst in people.
w

Thank you!

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