The authors are Emily Goldmann and Sandro Galea. Goldmann is an epidemiologist who has a desire to understand the causes and consequences of mental illness. Galea is an emergency physician and epidemiologist who is interested in the social production of health of urban populations.
Emergency response is not discussed much in this article. The article discusses that other basic needs like shelter, food and safety need to be established before resources for mental health can be addressed. I believe that there needs to be emergency response for mental health because if it is not treated and recognized early it can develop into a life long issue.
The methods/data used to produce the arguments in the report include general statements about mental health disorders followed by stats and explanations that support the stat and/or deny the increase of mental health illness (those that have been reported). The paper is chunked into portions that explain an illness, a coping mechanism and factors that produce higher rates of mental illness.
“Studies of traumatic event experience have shown that most people who experience an event do not develop psychopathology”
“The field of disaster mental health has strong roots in research on the mental health consequences of war, specifically stemming from the experiences of WWI, WWII and the holocaust.”
“Some studies have observed increases in the use of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes after disaster and some evidence shows that disaster victims use substances, particularly alcohol as a coping strategy.”
The three points I followed up on were women and children’s likelihood of to develop mental illness after a disaster, mental health and hurricane Katrina, and comorbidity.
Three ways the argument is supported is through descriptions of types of mental illness some may experience after a disaster: MDD,PTSD and substance abuse. Through the description of resilience and how most who experience a disaster tend to bounce back like a rubber band. Finally risk factors are discussed for those who can experience mental illness such as females and children- who are typically more compassionate and worrisome in comparison to other populations.
The report’s bibliography is extensive and the report contains many direct quotes and figures. This indicates the article took a long time to put together and create- increases its credibility and use as a resource in this topic.
The main findings presented in the article are the stages of mental illnesses after a disaster post, pre and per factors as well as the most common health (mental illness disorders) after a disaster has occurred-such as generalized anxiety disorder and PTSD. The article also discusses that despite events happening only a small percentage of the population experiences these illnesses and a small portion still get treatment. The lack of treatment options is also discussed- it is not readily available after a disaster.
This article has been referenced and discussed by health professionals annually , as well as by the government to establish a need to address mental illness after disasters.