Text Size
Smaller
Bigger

Anyone who experiences or even witnesses a major disaster is at risk of serious stress response symptoms. However, people who have an existing serious mental illness are at an increased risk of a serious stress response, such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

If someone you love has a serious mental disorder and has just experienced or witnessed a disaster, you should be on the lookout for signs of PTSD and ready to intervene if necessary.

Why Are People With Mental Illness at Greater Risk of PTSD after a Disaster?

Research tells us that people with an existing serious mental illness are far more likely to have pre existing co-occurring PTSD (between 30% and 40% of people with a serious mental illness have a PTSD1).

Why these disorders so often co-occur remains unknown. Scientists don’t know whether people with serious mental illness are also predisposed to stress disorders or whether people with serious mental illness are more likely to experience severe trauma.

Researchers suspect that people with mental illness may be more severely affected by traumatic events, and they know that people with pre-existing PTSD are likely to experience an increase in symptoms severity following exposure to a more recent disaster.

Helping a Loved One with Mental Illness after a Disaster

By learning the signs and symptoms of an unhealthy stress response (PTSD) you can be ready to intervene quickly at the onset of symptoms, and hopefully can minimize their impact. Also be watchful for a sudden worsening of a primary mental illness, which can also indicate an underlying stress disorder.

Effective treatments for PTSD are available. If you see PTSD symptoms, or a worsening of an existing disorder, talk to your loved one about getting a PTSD assessment, or depending on the situation, talk to your loved one’s psychiatric caregiver about your concerns and observations.

 

References
Subscribe Subscribe to this topic category

Page last updated Aug 05, 2010

Creative Commons License
Copyright Notice
We welcome republishing of our content on condition that you credit Choose Help and the respective authors. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Healing the Body, Mind and Spirit after Addiction
Tips for Healing the Body, Mind and Spirit after Addiction © Laris.Sa*
Addiction is a disease that damages the body, mind and spirit. Here's a how-to guide to healing your physical, mental and spiritual health once in recovery. Read Article
Addiction Recovery September 18, 2013 (7)
Use Gut Bacteria to Fight Anxiety and Depression
Gut Bacteria Protect Your Mental Health. Learn How to Protect Your Microbiome © NIAID
Imbalanced gut bacteria may increase your risk of anxiety, depression, obesity and a host of other diseases. Learn how digestive bacteria can cause anxiety and find out how dietary changes can help you instill or protect an optimal balance of beneficial bacteria. Read Article
Co-Occurring Disorders September 06, 2017
Teen Trauma-Sensitive Addiction Treatment
A Guide to Finding Adolescent Trauma-Sensitive Addiction Treatment © Martinak15
Learn more about how trauma and substance abuse co-exist, the importance of trauma-sensitive care (and where to find it) and what parents can do on their own at home to help. Read Article
Teenagers December 02, 2013

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information.

Find Treatment
Browse by region »
Scan to call us
using your phone camera app