Territorians are known for their resilience. This resilience is often put to the test with the number of natural disasters it witnesses. The recent flooding in Katherine and Daly areas is another which Territorians need to deal with.
In the context of natural disasters it’s helpful to know what the early warning signs are for your mental health and what steps to take in rebuilding your own resilience. Psychological distress is common and normal after natural disasters. For most this distress will decline over time. Yet for some, these disasters may develop long-term mental health problems.1
Are you at risk?
The following groups of people are at higher risk of developing mental health problems after a disaster:
- those with greater exposure to the disaster,
- those with low or negative social support,
- those with prior mental health conditions.
The stressors that come after a disaster also can cumulate to contribute to mental health problems. For example, rebuilding challenges or social and economic disruption.
Signs that you need to seek help
Although most people do recover over time, a significant proportion will experience mental health problems because of the disaster. The most common mental health issues people face are post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and complicated grief. Some may also experience heightened suicidal risk, intense negative affect, acute stress, decrease in physical health and poor sleep quality.
If you are experiencing any adverse effects after natural disaster it is important to seek some help.
At Big Sky Psychology we seek to provide excellent care for people across the top end. We have a team of psychologists who are equipped to help people who have experience natural disasters.
- This blog has relied on the great article from the Black Dog Institute “Mental Health Interventions Following Disasters” https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/mental-health-interventions-following-disasters-black-dog-institute-february-2020.pdf?sfvrsn=0
