Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder After Natural Disasters: A Review

Abstract

Natural disasters, which are considered as one of the most important problems of recent times, affecting all humanity, have become a public health problem. Disasters have effects on both individuals and society in different dimensions, including health, economic, social, and psychological, and can have serious negative consequences. The number of individuals affected by natural disasters is increasing every year. While it is clear that natural disasters threaten human life and bodily health, little attention has been paid to their effects on mental health. Natural disasters threaten our psychological well-being in many ways, cause both short-term and long-term psychological distress and create a significant psychological burden. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a syndrome that occurs as a result of a serious threat or physical injury, a near-death experience, war-related trauma, sexual assault, interpersonal conflicts, child abuse, or a medical illness. When the literature is examined comprehensively, it has been determined that the incidence of PTSD after natural disasters is quite high. Causes of post-disaster PTSD include the nature of the trauma, its severity, loss of relatives and/or property, poor coping skills, displacement, and direct exposure to disaster. Studies have shown that both non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments are effective on PTSD.