This toolkit helps service providers for the aging learn more about mental illness and substance use disorders in older adults, including focus on alcohol and medication use. It provides tools such as a program coordinator’s guide, suggested curricula, and handouts.

This tip sheet describes how people with serious mental illness may experience and respond to disasters. It identifies ways in which people with serious mental illness are more vulnerable than others in disasters and problems they may face. It also offers tips for disaster planners and responders for helping people with serious mental illness and their families with disaster planning and in the aftermath of a disaster.

This document can be used by emergency management and disaster planners to assist them in preparing for the movement of psychiatric patients during disasters. Included are the basic assumptions planning staff may have about psychiatric patients and moving them, as well as some considerations for both planners and providers.

The ASPR ABC Division aims to ensure that all individuals and communities affected by disasters have access to the services they need for physical and mental health. Their mission is to ensure that all emergency preparedness, response, and recovery activities integrate and involve people with access and functional needs and people with mental and substance use disorders and support community capacity to recover from disasters.

This fact sheet can be used by anyone preparing for or responding to the mental health consequences of disasters.

This web page gives an overview of schizophrenia, as well as the risk factors for developing it. It also identifies signs and symptoms of schizophrenia and gives information about different treatments and therapies, as well as how to join a study on schizophrenia. Lastly it describes how an individual can help a person suffering from schizophrenia.

This web page provides an overview of how a disaster or traumatic event may affect a person with serious mental illness (SMI) differently because of the way he or she experiences a disaster. It also offers information that suggests that people with SMI are more likely to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following disasters than people without SMI.

This resource is a curriculum for people who will be serving as peer specialists, or those with lived experience of recovery from mental illness or substance use disorders who provide support to people currently experiencing mental illness or substance use disorders.

This online resource from SAMHSA allows users to search for mental illness and substance use disorder treatment services in their area. First responders may find it useful in finding services for themselves or their coworkers or in referring individuals to treatment. Searches can be limited by state, county, and distance from a specific location.

This toolkit is designed for organizations that would like to implement mental health programs in rural areas. It contains seven modules that focus on developing, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining rural mental health programs.

NARMH is a membership organization that works to develop and enhance mental health and substance use and misuse services in rural communities. This website contains information about NARMH membership, upcoming conferences, and publications related to rural mental health issues.

This guide discusses barriers and challenges to accessing substance use disorder and mental health treatment services. It also gives information on implementing telehealth as a method to increase access to services and its benefits.

This web page provides statistics and information on the need for mental health services in rural America. It also gives an overview of the challenges of providing mental health services in rural communities, including accessibility, availability, and acceptability of services.

This issue of the SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center’s Supplemental Research Bulletin discusses reactions children and youth may have to a natural disaster. It also describes a variety of mental health issues and mental disorders that may occur, as well as substance use and misuse issues among adolescents, and risk and protective factors.

This web page provides definitions of serious mental illness (SMI) and serious emotional disturbance (SED) and statistics on prevalence of these conditions in the United States. It also features links to additional information and reports that further describe the disorders considered SMIs or SED.

This article describes the reactions children may have after experiencing a catastrophic event, such as a natural disaster. It also describes what may put a child at risk of developing PTSD, and the symptoms they may experience.

This presentation was developed for a conference dedicated to broadening understanding of the Triple P - Positive Parenting Program and its various applications. Triple P is a program designed for parents to help them prevent emotional problems in their children and address any issues that arise.

This web page discusses what complex trauma is and when a child may be at risk of experiencing it. It also provides links to resources about the effects of complex trauma, screening tools, and interventions for children experiencing this type of trauma.

This web page offers tips for people with anxiety and depressive disorders to prepare for natural disasters, as well as tips for what to do after disasters occur. It also includes signs and symptoms of prolonged anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as information for helping children recover from disasters.

In this post to its Public Health Matters blog, CDC explains why children are more vulnerable to mental health issues and conditions during a disaster or emergency. It also discusses CDC’s At-Risk Task Force (ARTF), which ensures the identification and prioritization of the mental and physical health needs of at-risk populations.

This article presents an overview of how extreme weather events caused by climate change can cause increased stress and contribute to more serious mental health issues. It also identifies individuals who are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, including children and people with existing mental illness. Lastly, it considers the potential long-term mental health effects of climate change.

Although published in 2011, this article offers information that remains relevant about disaster planning for people with serious mental illness. The article discusses the importance of including people with mental illness in disaster preparedness and response, how people with mental illnesses may be more severely affected by disasters, and complications that can arise with care and medication during disasters.

This web page from NAMI gives an overview of how mental health conditions may affect a person’s life, as well as how to begin recovery. It also provides information on a comprehensive list of mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. For each condition, it provides information on treatment, support, and discussion groups and resources.

In this post to the Public Health Matters blog, CDC presents tips for ensuring emergency preparedness from the standpoint of medication. Tips include making and maintaining a list of all medications and dosages, keeping a record of current prescriptions, and establishing and maintaining a stockpile of medications.

Funded by SAMHSA and administered by the American Psychiatric Association, this initiative aims to advance the use of a person-centered approach to care to ensure that people with serious mental illness (SMI) find the treatment and support they need. For clinicians, SMI Adviser offers access to education, data, and consultations to make evidence-based treatment decisions.