Hurricane Helene dumped record levels of water this past weekend in the Southeast. Eastern Tennessee and North Carolina Residents have suffered so much loss: life, home, electricity, telephone service, and in some case access via roadways. State and Federal Assistance has been deployed but individuals will experience trauma for days, weeks, months, and, for some, years.
The American Psychiatric Association developed many resources for disasters and I wanted to post these today in hopes that they can be used by others.
These specific resources can be accessed by the public: https://www.psychiatry.org/Patients-Families/coping-after-disaster-trauma
Additional resources were developed in relation with the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress to help those who have lived through a disaster:
Here are specific resources for children and families:
There are additional resources for psychiatrists also available including Continuing Medical Education (CME) to help these physicians help patients and the community.
Psychiatrists and psychiatric mental health clinicians and therapists can help if someone’s coping skills are overwhelmed.
Michelle Cochran, MD