Learning From The Past and Planning For The Future
MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT July 25, 2003 "Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever
things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights." - Thomas Jefferson
Short Subjects
LINKS Rocky Mountain Region
Disaster Mental Health Institute
CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN)
September 30 - October 4, 2003
Denver, Colorado
THIRD ANNUAL
CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS MANAGEMENT
WORKSHOP SERIES
Rocky Mountain Region
Disaster Mental Health Institute
Dates & Locations:
Laramie, WY: November 12-15, 2003
Casper, WY: November 19-22, 2003
Contact: George W. Doherty
Box 786
Laramie, WY 82073
Email: rockymountain@mail2emergency.comThe Australasian Critical Incident
Stress Association Conference
The Right Response in the
21st Century
Location: Carlton Crest Hotel
Melbourne Australia
Friday October 3, 2003 thru
Sunday October 5, 2003
For further information
please contact the conference organisers:
ammp@optushome.com.au
Conference Website:
http://www.acisa.org.au/ conference2003/6th Annual Conference
The University of South Dakota
Disaster Mental Health Institute
"Innovations in Disaster Psychology:
Time for a New Paradigm?
Reflecting on the Past:
Looking to the Future"
Radisson Hotel
Rapid City, SD
September 18-20, 2003
Asian American Psychological Association
Annual Convention
August 6, 2003
Location: Toronto, Ontario
CANADA
111th Annual Convention of the
American Psychological Association (APA)
August 7 - 11, 2003
Location: Toronto, Ontario
CANADA
Contact: Convention Office, APA
750 First Street NE
Washington DC 20002-4242 USA
Phone: +1-202-336-5500
Minnesota International Counseling Institute:
Global Mental Health in a Turbulent World
July 27-August 1, 2003
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Contact:
Minnesota International Counseling Institute
CSPP/Department of Education Psychology
University of Minnesota
178 Pilsbury Drive, SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
E-mail: cspp-adm@tc.umn.edu8TH International Conference on Family Violence
September 16 - 20, 2003
Location: San Diego, California, USA
Contact: "FV Conference 2003"
Attn: Lisa Conradi
Conference Co-Coordinator
6160 Cornerstone Court East
San Diego, CA 9212, USA
Phone: +1-858-623-2777 ext. 427
Email: fvconf@alliant.edu
Middle East/North Africa Regional
Conference of Psychology
December 13 - 16, 2003
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Contact: Dr. Raymond H. Hamden
MENA RCP, PO Box 11806
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Phone: +971-4- 331-4777
Fax: +971-4-331-4001
E-mail: menarcp@hotmail.com1st International Conference on
Psychophysiology of Panic Attacks
September 5 - 8 2003
Location: London, UNITED KINGDOM
Contact: stonesa@wmin.ac.uk
European Society for Cognitive Psychology (ESCoP)
September 17 - 20, 2003
Location: Granada, SPAIN
Society for Judgment and
Decision Making Annual Meeting
November 10 - 11 2003
Location: Vancouver, CANADA
Society of Australasian
Social Psychologists 33rd Annual Meeting
April 15 - 18, 2004
Location: Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
27th National AACBT Conference
(Australian Association for
Cognitive and Behavior Therapy)
May 15 - 19, 2004
Location: Perth, Western Australia
AUSTRALIA
WESTERN WILDFIRE UPDATES
Firefighters in Colorado and across the West continued their battles in what has been a mild fire season overall. The National Interagency Fire Center reported Thursday that 1.12 million acres of forest have burned so far this season, compared to a 10-year, year-to-date average of 1.89 million acres.
WHITERIVER, Arizona - Thousands of residents of an American Indian reservation charred by wildfire began returning to their homes last Friday, two days after the flames nearly reached their community. About 5,000 people were forced to evacuate Whiteriver, on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in eastern Arizona, as the lightning-sparked fire approached the town. It came within a quarter-mile of some homes before firefighters ringed the blaze with firebreaks. No homes were damaged. Although they have a line around the more than 20,100-acre blaze, firefighters won't consider it officially contained until there is enough rainfall to cool the flames, firefighters spokesman Wendell Peacock said. The blaze was among about 40 large, active wildfires burning around the West according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The wildfire that has forced thousands of evacuations in eastern Arizona is another blow to the economy of an Apache tribe still reeling from a record forest fire last year. Along with the expense of moving as many as 5,000 people out of their homes this week, leaders of the White Mountain Apache Tribe worry what will happen if the flames invade valuable stands of tall ponderosa pine trees on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The timber industry provides 60 percent of the tribe's income. "Timber has been our economic mainstay for over 40 years," tribal spokeswoman Chadeen Palmer said Wednesday. Tourism, the tribe's other big business, also was hurting as the fire danger forced the tribe to close some recreational areas, although its Hon Dah casino remained open. Even before this week's fire, memories of last summer's fire had been discouraging some visitors.
No homes had been destroyed, but the evacuations shut down some businesses and the fire hurt morale. Last year's 469,000-acre fire, the largest in state history, devastated a huge swath of reservation forest, along with a nearby national forest and several communities, destroying 491 homes. That blaze cut into the tribe's supply of harvestable trees, which already had been reduced by years of timber cutting. The tribe's Fort Apache Timber Co. had to start cutting smaller and less-valuable 14-inch-diameter ponderosa pines. The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs predicts the tribe will run out of trees worth logging in 10 years, said Mary Classay, general manager of Fort Apache Timber. The tribe's two timber mills have been working double shifts to process logs salvaged from last year's fire area that still had usable wood. However, those logs will likely run out by October.
Arizona has seen one of the longest-burning wildfires. Residents of Summerhaven, AZ finally returned to their homes last Thursday after being forced to evacuate a month ago. The 84,750-acre blaze destroyed 322 homes and cabins, seven businesses and four other buildings. The fire, contained Tuesday, was caused by people, and remains under investigation.
California - A lightning-caused wildfire in Southern California destroyed two homes, about 10 other buildings and a recreational vehicle near the San Diego-Riverside county line in a sparsely populated region of steep, brush-covered hills, officials said last Friday. Two structures destroyed by the 12,900-acre fire were part of a research post operated by California State University, San Diego. The wildfire, which continued to threaten about 50 other structures, including homes, was 18 percent contained by last Friday.
Wyoming - Firefighters in Wyoming were trying to contain blazes in three corners of the state, including three fires in Yellowstone National Park. Only one trail in the park had been closed Friday, but officials have banned smoking and backcountry campfires until further notice.
In Wyoming, 15 Boy Scouts and their leaders were plucked by helicopter from the Shoshone National Forest backcountry, where they had been cut off when authorities closed a trail because of a rapidly expanding wildfire. The 1,000-acre fire was burning away from the Scouts, who had been stranded but not in danger, fire managers said.
Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado has been closed since Tuesday because of a fire reported at 2,000 acres Friday. It was not threatening any structures or ruins. Thursday was the third straight day that Mesa Verde National Park was closed, and officials have not said when they might allow visitors back in. The park is the area's top tourist attraction, drawing about 4,500 visitors a day in the summertime. A 1,880-acre fire was burning early Friday in the southeast corner of the park, the nation's largest archaeological preserve, but none of the ancient treasures were threatened. Three other fires in or near the park were contained Wednesday. This week's wildfires were small compared with fires that blackened nearly half the 52,000-acre park in 2000. They lacked nothing in drama, however. One fire erupted when lightning struck near Balcony House, an Ancestral Pueblo Indian dwelling. National Park Service guide Cherie Barth had already cut short her tour of the site as the lightning approached.
CORTEZ, Colorado - It's happened five times in the last decade: A disaster puts this tourist town in the headlines during summer, its busiest season. Reporters show up, and business drops. For the third time in the past four years, wildfires are the problem. But it isn't always what's burning that's creating havoc. In 1998, visitors were scared off by 500 lawmen scouring the desert for three killers of a Cortez police officer. The problem in 1993 was the nation's first outbreak of the rodent-spread hantavirus, a severe respiratory infection that kills one in three victims.
Major wildfires also were reported in Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah.
For further information about these fires and their effects, go to the following:
Mesa Verde National Park: http://www.nps.gov/meve/fire/
White Mountain Apache: http://www.wmat.nsn.us/
National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov/
Kinishba fire: http://www.fireground.com/
ANCESTRY MIX MAY BE ONE KEY TO OBESITY, OTHER CONDITIONS
Estimating proportions of ancestry may provide clues to genetic influences on obesity, osteoporosis and metabolism, and help public health professionals better educate populations, according to a team of researchers. One team member, Mark D. Shriver, assistant professor of anthropology at Penn State, has developed a method to estimate the ancestral proportions of individuals -- the percentage of genes that are West African, Native American or European. Although many Americans identify with only one racial/ethnic group, U.S. residents are actually highly mixed. The researchers focused on the health disparities that exist in the United States, with historically disadvantaged populations generally suffering higher prevalences of chronic diseases. Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/index.php?cmd=vs&story=3504
TEENAGERS AND CRISES - IN DISASTERS
A trauma is any event which harms or threatens a person or someone close to them and involves high emotional arousal. Such events are never accurately remembered or fully understood. Because the impact on teenagers is related to their stage of development, some important aspects of adolescence should be considered.
Teenagers involved in crisis and traumatic events may not always show their distress outwardly. Adults may misunderstand their needs or find them unwilling to accept help.
Teenage Development
Teenagers often lose the self assurance they had when younger. However, they gain other types of confidence and abilities. Parents, and the teens themselves, are confused by their inconsistent behavior.
Teenagers can think rationally. But they have unstable emotions and may not apply logical thinking to real situations. Providing them with support and independence can help them learn this. Teens want to be both close to others as well as time to be alone while they find new ways of relating to people. In order to communicate with teenagers, it is important to understand these contradictions. Moodiness, depression and insecurity commonly alternate with excitement, happiness and adventurousness.
Family
While children are dependent on parents and live within the family, teens are usually proud that they could survive on their own. School, peers, other adults and social or sporting groups are a large part of their support network. They often don't feel the family is the life support system it was in childhood. Parents may feel sidelined. However, their importance is not less than before - just different.
Teenagers usually don't understand these changes, but they do feel the frustration of them. They need their family to be a trusted home base for their adjustment to painful events. However, how much they rely on their family to come to grips with what has happened may vary greatly from one to another.
The Peer Group
Friends and acquaintances are an essential part of a teenager's daily life. Groups might appear to be a distraction. However, they do give security in coping with emotional problems. They can gain a sense of normality by comparing themselves with peers. Teenagers feel abnormal when they are different from their peers, and this threatens their sense of self.
The peer group may often seem to be their life support system. They need to be with peers just like they previously needed to be with their parents. Though some teens may have difficulty getting the right balance between peers and family, this is a normal situation. Rock music, fashion, sports, skateboarding, etc. (even when done alone) give the support of shared experiences with their peer culture.
Parents who oppose peer influences risk causing intense conflicts. They often lose the battle because the teen feels that the parent's opposition is a threat to their survival. Parents can help best when they share their teen with peer groups. Instead of competing with peer influence, adults need to develop good communication and give teens time to form their own judgments of peers and evaluate the group.
The Teen's Experience
Teens are often more involved in doing things than understanding emotions. They may lack the words to express important feelings. They handle painful events by distracting themselves. They may be so immersed in their own feelings and point of view that they don't recognize adults' reactions. They may feel threatened when adults try to be logical about painful experiences and not fully understand what is said until later. However, their behavior often shows they have taken notice even when they don't acknowledge it. It's important to give them time to work things out rather than demanding immediate feedback.
Anxiety by parents can cause teens to become confused and guilty or cause them to reject their parents' emotions in order to protect themselves.
Common Responses
The following responses are all signs of stress when coming to terms with crisis or trauma. They are normal responses and generally pass with time.
Excessive concern for others, guilt, anxiety, and insecurity.
Sleeplessness or wanting to sleep all the time.
Withdrawal from family, spending increased time alone listening to music or watching TV.
Wanting to be around the family more than before or more dependent on family or other people.
Sudden need for independence expressing feelings like "don't treat me like a child" and "you're only my mother".
Uncooperative, irritable and only concerned with what is important to them.
Bored, listless and dissatisfied.
Unable to cope with responsibilities or duties, reverting to immature or irresponsible behavior.
Preoccupation with the trauma, wanting to talk about it all the time - or angrily refusing to talk about it.
More detached from life, the future or interests, and an unwillingness to set goals.
Want to do everything now; they are impatient or intolerant.
Pessimism and cynicism, loss of interest in the future.
Changed values and philosophy of life.
Poor concentration, memory, organization, planning skills and reduced school performance.
Restlessness, always needing to be doing something or be with peers.
Exaggerated emotional reactions to small problems.
Angry, controlling, assertive and demanding.
Exaggeration or return of previous problems. How To Provide Help
Teens need support and understanding from adults to deal with their responses. Following are some suggested strategies to help them achieve this:
Give them accurate information about the event and its consequences. Correct any misunderstandings and rumors. However, avoid burdening them with details not needed for overall understanding.
Encourage them to express emotions and to put thoughts into words. If not with you, make sure they talk to someone. Expressing strong emotions is a natural way to come to terms with trauma. As the emotions begin to subside, the recovery starts. Suppressed emotions can cause long-term problems.
Keep communicating. If they won't talk about emotions, ask the teens what they are thinking. Let them know about your reactions. Explain about stress and recovery. Even if they don't admit it, they do take in what is said.
Keep telling them you love and care about them no matter what they say or do.
If they object to what you are doing, don't argue. Ask them how else you can help.
Reassure them about the future, especially that their current distress will pass in time.
Make plans to reduce pressure at school or in other activities if they are having trouble coping.
Support them in continuing their social and recreational activities, to play, explore, laugh, etc., even though the adults themselves may not want to.
Maintain routine and familiar activities, ensure life is secure and predictable; minimize change.
Keep them informed about how their recovery is progressing and what help is available.
Do not make this the time to have disputes about normal problems such as work, chores, or defiance. Leave this for later or it will be confused with the crisis reactions. The problems fade as teens recover. If not, the problems will be more successfully worked out later. Teens' striving for independence, seeking help from peers and adults other than their parents, and expressing critical attitudes are all indications of parents' success in giving teens the strength and confidence to become adults. This behavior needs to be valued and worked with rather than against.
Sometimes teens have a narrower point of view and can accept the trauma in a matter-of-fact way. They may not need their parents as much as their parents need them. When this happens, parents must continue to be available, but in a different, more detached way and avoid burdening teens with their own distress as much as possible.
Trauma also provides teens with opportunities for growth and discovery about themselves. With help, teens can eventually mature as a result of experience. They often show strength and resilience that has not been evident previously.
When To Get Some Help
In some situations it's important to get advice from those trained to understand crises, trauma and teens. This is important to do when:
Parents are particularly worried or do not understand their teen's behavior.
The teen doesn't spend any time at home.
They will not communicate about themselves or what they are doing.
They show continuing distress or depression.
They begin to abuse substances or increase their use.
There is no progress in recovery from the responses.
They engage in reckless, irresponsible or self destructive behavior. Early help is most effective. It can prevent complications before they become established. If the teen does not want to come to an appointment, parents can attend and will benefit from the chance to get advice and strategies.
The best gifts you can offer teens are patience and understanding. Do not hesitate to seek advice if you do not understand any part of their behavior or if you have questions. With the right assistance, recovery from trauma may not be as painful for either teens or their parents.
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To search for books on disasters and disaster mental
health topics, leaders, leadership, orgainizations,
crisis intervention, leaders and crises, and related
topics and purchase them online, go to the following url:
https://www.angelfire.com/biz/odochartaigh/searchbooks.html
RECOMMENDED READING
Shocking Violence II: Violent Disaster, War, and Terrorism Affecting Your Youth
by Rosemarie Scolaro Moser (Editor), Corinne E. Frantz (Editor)
Book Description
Shocking Violence II: Violent Disaster, War, and Terrorism Affecting Our Youth provides current academic and practical knowledge from the viewpoints of a variety of expert academicians and professionals to address the most pressing and relevant issues of our recent times. The contributors offer an understanding of the psycho-socio-political factors that impact youth when exposed to violent disaster, war, and terrorism and that explain the phenomena of terrorism and violence. As an invaluable guide, it samples information from the areas of psychology, education, parenting, law enforcement, forensics, and religion incorporating both theory, data, and concrete recommendations, and providing advice to helping professionals, educators, parents, and all those who interface with youth. Key intervention strategies are presented that can be implemented in the field. Readers will find its multidisciplinary focus helpful in gaining a broad perspective on this very complex topic.
Additional Readings at: Children and Disasters in the search engine. Also try looking here for Disaster and Trauma.
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Contact your local Mental Health Center or
check the yellow pages for counselors, psychologists,
therapists, and other Mental health Professionals in
your area for further information.
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George W. Doherty
Rocky Mountain Region
Disaster Mental Health Institute
Box 786
Laramie, WY 82073-0786
MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT Online: https://www.angelfire.com/biz3/news
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