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Current Research and Recent Breakthroughs on the Mental Health Effects of Disasters

  • Disaster Psychiatry (CS North and B Pfefferbaum, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

A large existing academic disaster mental health literature provides a foundation to help guide disaster mental health response. Recent studies, however, have indicated that reconceptualization of certain mental health aspects of disasters may be indicated to guide further research to inform the planning and implementation of disaster mental health interventions. In particular, there is need to more carefully measure specific postdisaster disorders and syndromes using full diagnostic assessments, differentiate pre-existing from incident (new) postdisaster psychopathology, appropriately consider disaster trauma exposure groups in assessing psychopathology, and conduct prospective follow-up assessments over time from the acute postdisaster period to the long term. Further descriptive and longitudinal research is needed to better characterize the occurrence and course of fully-assessed psychiatric disorders after different disasters, clarify the role of disaster trauma exposures in the development of postdisaster psychopathology, and deconstruct confounding effects in determination of causalities in mental health consequences of disasters.

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References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

Conflict of Interest

Carol S. North is or was recently a board member of the following: Metrocare Services; American Psychopathological Association; American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists; North Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians; World Trade Center Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services; Board of Scientific Counselors, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. North has received consultancy fees from the Terrorism and Disaster Center at the University of Missouri, gifts and royalties from Oxford University Press, grants from NIAAA, Orthopedic Trauma Association, The University of Texas, Dept. of Veterans Affairs, and the American Psychiatric Association.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. VA North Texas Health Care System, 4500 S. Lancaster Rd., Dallas, TX, 75216, USA

    Carol S. North

  2. The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Departments of Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine, 6363 Forest Park Rd., Dallas, TX, 75390-8828, USA

    Carol S. North

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  1. Carol S. North
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Correspondence to Carol S. North.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Disaster Psychiatry

A special thank you to Dr. Anu Asnaani for taking the time to review this manuscript.

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North, C.S. Current Research and Recent Breakthroughs on the Mental Health Effects of Disasters. Curr Psychiatry Rep 16, 481 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-014-0481-9

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