Top 5 Stress Reactions to Public Health Epidemics
People experience a spectrum of reactions as a result of epidemics, such as Ebola, and disasters, such as weather-related events. Psychiatrists can provide interventions for those who are in distress with a special focus on mitigating these disaster stress reactions.
 Related content:For more on this topic, please see "Disaster Psychiatry: What Psychiatrists Need to Know," by Anthony T. Ng, MD, on which this slideshow was based. Dr Ng is Chief Medical Officer at Acadia Hospital and Chief of the Psychiatry Service at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine.
People experience a spectrum of reactions as a result of epidemics, such as Ebola, and disasters, such as weather-related events. Psychiatrists can provide interventions for those who are in distress with a special focus on mitigating these disaster stress reactions.
1. Psychiatrists may need to assume a direct medical care provider role in the event of an emergency. Some patients may be somatically focused. In such cases, it is important for psychiatrists to collaborate closely with primary care providers and public health officials.
2. Early and rapid mental health interventions help promote individual and community recovery. Psychiatrists play a significant role in helping to mitigate and lessen the traumatic burden. Their involvement is a vital component of any community resiliency efforts to address emotional reactions, such as anger, sadness, and survivor guilt.
3. Disasters and public health emergencies, such as epidemics, can lead to significant community-wide disruptions. There may also be distrust toward others, especially when there is conflicting information. Psychiatrists can assist survivors in understanding their confusion and cognitive impairment. They can also help to treat symptoms such as racing thoughts, extreme confusion, and memory problems.
4. Psychiatric disorders do not affect all individuals who have experienced a disaster. However, people are at increased risk for distress behaviors that have equally significant and chronic consequences. These behaviors include increased smoking or drinking, chronic irritability, overwork, restlessness, sleep and appetite disturbances, difficulty expressing oneself, reluctance to seek help, constant talking, angry outbursts, withdrawal and apathy, slowness to respond, and so on.
5. In the midst of chaos, patients may cling tightly to their spirituality through an intense use of prayer-or they may lose faith completely and experience a profound loss of trust.