Mental Health Issues related to Bioterrorism
Target Audience
Medical Reserve Corps volunteers, veterinarians, pharmacists
This course is not currently scheduled.
Course Description
This course will introduce participants to mental health triage protocols. Participants will learn about disasters, both natural and manmade, terrorist incidents involving nuclear/radiological, chemical and biological agents, and negative media exposure that may result in a public health emergency of an unprecedented scale.
During such an event, hospitals and dispensing sites may reach capacity in a short period of time, with victims, family members and first responders needing both medical and mental health care. In order to manage the flow of patients though hospitals or dispensing sites and identify those most in need of mental health care, volunteer staff will need special skills to gauge the severity of psychological needs and make appropriate referrals, or apply the necessary interventions to victims and the "worried well."
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Distinguish between adaptive and maladaptive psychological reactions to disasters based on course cheat sheets, guides and checklists
- Assess the severity of psychological reactions to disasters, terrorism, and negative media exposure using a quick reference checklist, and make appropriate on site referrals to mental health professionals
- administer psychological first-aid to victims who are among the "worried well," and apply anxiety reducing timely interventions