Veterans Affairs banner with U.S. FlagVeterans Affairs banner with U.S. Flag
National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
NCPTSD home About Us Published Materials Assessment Web Resources Press Room About Website
Specific Information For: Veterans and their Families Mental Health Care Providers Health Care Providers Researchers
NCPTSD Manuals

Disaster Mental Health Manual

Disaster Mental Health Services: A Guidebook for Clinicians and Administrators

by Bruce H. Young, Julian D. Ford, Josef I. Ruzek, Matthew J. Friedman, and Fred D. Gusman
Published in 1998

All Manual sections and the appendices are available by sections in PDF format.

NOTE: Please make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to download these files. Not having the latest version (8) of this reader may cause error messages saying that the PDF file is "damaged".

Table of Contents

Introduction (PDF 154k)
1. Defining Disaster
2. How This Guidebook Can Help
3. Disaster Mental Health Services
4. Emergency & Early Post-Impact Phase Administrative Tasks
5. Restoration Phase Administrative Tasks
6. Key Characteristics & Helping Behaviors of Disaster Mental Health Workers
Section I Stress Reactions of Survivors (PDF 77k)
1. Overview
2. Factors Associated with Disaster Stress
3. Extreme Peritraumatic Stress Reactions
4. Disaster Experiences Associated with Chronic PTSD
5. Other Factors Associated with Chronic PTSD
6. Prevalence of PTSD Following Disaster
Section II Helping Survivors (PDF 454k)
1. Emergency Phase On- & Off-Site Interventions
2. Summary of Basic Principles of Emergency Care
3. Early Post-Impact Phase
4. Restoration Phase Interventions
5. Special Populations
6. Older Adults
Section III Helping the Helpers (PDF 162k)
1. Stressors Associated with Disaster Work
2. Stress Reactions of Disaster Workers
3. Who Are Emergency Workers
4. The Rescue Work Culture
5. Guidelines to Consulting with Command Staff and Rescue Team Managers at the Scene of Operations
6. Defusing Interventions
7. Teaching Relaxation Techniques to Disaster Workers
8. Debriefing Rescue Workers
Section IV Helping Organizations (PDF 87k)
1. Five Key Steps to Organizational Disaster Mental Health Consulting
2. Organizational Stressors Associated with Disaster
3. Organizational Response Plan
4. Pre-Disaster Organization Preparedness
5. Establishing Disaster Mental Health Services
Section V Disaster Mental Health Services: Team and Program Development (PDF 29k)
1. Team Formation & Selection
2. Staff Training
3. Development of Standard Operating Procedures
4. Stressors Associated with Disaster Mental Health Work
5. Disaster Mental Health Work Strategies for Self-Awareness, Self-Care, & Stress Management
Section VI Disaster Mental Health Services: The Big Picture (PDF 51k)
1. National Disaster Medical System
2. Disaster Declaration Process
3. Federal Response Plan
4. Federal, State, Local, Non-Profit, and Volunteer Agencies Offering Disaster Mental Health Services
Appendices A-E
A. List of Acronyms/Abbreviations (PDF 11k)
B. Resources  (PDF 17k)
C. PTSD Screening Protocol for Primary Care Settings (PDF 15k)
D. Day Training General Outline (PDF 13k)
E. References & Recommended Reading (PDF 150k)
Acknowledgements (PDF)
About the Authors (PDF)
Cover (PDF 91k)



 NCPTSD Home | About Us | Published Materials | Assessment | Web Resources | Press Room | About the Website | Site Map
 PTSD Information Center | Veterans | Mental Health Care Providers | Health Care Providers | Researchers

 FOR MORE INFORMATION:
 EMAIL - ncptsd@va.gov
 CALL - THE PTSD Information Line at (802) 296-6300