MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION IN MASS CASUALTY DISASTERS

PRESENTER: John G. Jones, Ph.D. ABPP ATR-BC



   The purpose of this presentation will be to share some ideas and techniques
   employed in an effort at mental health intervention in a mass casualty situation.
   When one thinks of mass casualties, we often think of wars, airplane crashes,
   bombs in the volatile middle east, Bosnia, ethnic cleansing in African and eastern
   European countries and natural disasters, usually away from home and among 
   strangers.

   In 1995, all of the distance factors and attribution to uncontrolled radicals
   in troubled nations delusion was shattered forever. 169 people were killed and
   over 500 injured in a blast that destroyed a nine-story government building in         
   downtown Oklahoma City. Each one of these victims had families, loved ones, friends,
   neighbors, fishing buddies and multiple acquaintances. The ripples of trauma from
   this powerful blast were sent nation wide.

   I would like to share some of the efforts made to organize some type of intervention
   into a traumatic event, the like of which had never before been experienced in the
   history of our nation. I will address organizational and clinical issues, general
   and specific techniques employed, the impact on the survivors of a trauma of this 
   magnitude and the compassion fatigue suffered by the caregivers.

   General techniques considered will be the debriefings for survivors, intervention
   with bureaucratic managers from afar, coordination of services, etc. Specific
   clinical interventions, including group and individual therapy, art therapy and
   traditional healing will be addressed. Some assessment techniques and the attempts
   to deal with issues unique to such a massive trauma will be shared.

   The primary purpose is to share ideas with others who have had similar opportunities
   to work with mass casualty victims and create an atmosphere of learning and dialog
   so that we all can become more adequate to this most demanding of tasks for any
   clinician.


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