#HealthTalk: Maintaining Mental Health After Hurricane Sandy
Experts from the Disaster Distress Helpline chatted with us about the emotional and psychological impact of disasters like Hurricane Sandy and offered tips on how to cope.
Hello Everyone! Welcome to this important #HealthTalk on maintaining mental health after disasters! #Sandy
Hello all and thanks to @EverydayHealth for inviting us to be part of this important chat! #HealthTalk- Q1Temp. reactions can include anxiety; feelings of isolation, anger or confusion; trouble w/sleep, completing daily tasks, etc. #HealthTalk
- Q1 - Important to remember most people having temporary reactions will 'bounce back' after the disaster with time #HealthTalk
- Q1 Support from family, friends- or services such as @Distressline will help. A phone call or text can go a long way to help! #HealthTalk
For these individuals, @distressline can provide crisis counseling & connect them with local resources for additional support #HealthTalk- Very informative so far! Q2: Are children more susceptible to psychological damage after disasters like #hurricanes? #HealthTalk
A1: if we had better programs that educate everyone about disasters, the tragic consequences could be lessened @EverydayHealth #healthtalk- @AuntRuby @EverydayHealth Great point! Education and prep r key - check out ready.gov for great information on prep #HealthTalk
- Q2 Most children r naturally resilient-w strong support and guidance (incl. role modeling by adults) they can also bounce back #HealthTalk
- Q2 However many children can be susceptible to distress for different reasons - what do folks out there think? #HealthTalk
- A2: Visit nctsn.org for more info on symptoms of distress in children & helpful resources for parents. #healthtalk
- Q2 - The size/scope of disaster can make it harder to 'make meaning' of the event #HealthTalk #Sandy
- Q@ Kids who are bullied, victims of family/domestic violence & other forms of trauma, may have weakened resiliency #HealthTalk
- Q3 - Parents/caregivers may be incapacitated or overwhelmed themselves, therefore leaving children more vulnerable #HealthTalk
- Q3 Young children: Use gentle, simple language; avoid completely hiding information or pretending like nothing is going on #HealthTalk
A3: Parents can talk to their children about disasters by explaining, being honest and being candid. #HealthTalk- Q3 Older kids:Balance facts w gentle words. Older kids should understand the basics of what happened, but don't need all details #HealthTalk
- A3) Parents can talk by educating their kids n making sure they have a disaster plan 4 the family. @EverydayHealth #healthtalk
