This webinar provides an overview of the challenges journalists face covering disasters and how mental health professionals can collaborate with the news . It covers how professionals can help journalists cover children and disasters, and how to assess whether disaster plans are -friendly.

This article presents findings from a survey conducted with 153 civilians in three towns in Iran to examine the mental health effects on survivors after exposure to chemical warfare. [Citation: Hashemian F, Khoshnood K, Desai MM, Falahati F, Kasl S, Southwick S. Anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress in Iranian survivors of chemical warfare. JAMA. 2006 Aug 2;296(5):560-6.]

This article examines the social and psychological consequences of exposure to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. Based on findings from a literature review and consultation with experts, the authors describe the different approaches used by mental health professionals in the former Soviet Union and in the West to classify distress and disorders and design treatment programs. The article also provides recommendations for bridging these gaps.

This website provides links to fact sheets about bioterrorism agents, such as anthrax, botulism, brucellosis, plague, smallpox, tularemia, and viral hemorrhagic fevers.

The Headington Institute offers a variety of trainings, educational materials, and counseling and consultation services for humanitarian relief and development workers and emergency responders. It does work to support the well-being of responders and response organizations and the effectiveness of response efforts.

This web page includes links to resources for healthcare professionals, leaders, and others responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. It features fact sheets on healthcare worker self-care and stress management and on leading teams as they respond to the pandemic, as well as webinars, websites, and publications on disaster behavioral health, Psychological First Aid, sleep health, and fostering team resilience.

At this web page, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies presents a range of resources for learning about and coping with stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. A section for healthcare workers, a key group of first responders in the pandemic, features webinars, tip sheets, and articles on topics including coping with pandemic-related stress, self-care, and strategies for resilience.

This tip sheet describes how responding to acts of violence, civil unrest, or terrorism can affect responders. The tip sheet lists steps that leaders can take in support of the mental health and resilience of their teams, tips for workload and stress management, and signs of compassion fatigue and related issues.

This paper examines the impact of public health emergencies on the healthcare needs of people who live in rural areas. The authors provide recommendations for assessing preparedness and ensuring the availability, quality, and continuity of healthcare services for rural residents in the aftermath of a bioterrorism or other public health emergency.

This document is a resource is for emergency responders and federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial officials charged with communicating with the public in the immediate aftermath of an improvised nuclear detonation in the United States. It provides information, instructions, and messages that emergency responders can share with the general public in the initial moments following the explosion, before federal assistance arrives.

The document presents a model set of minimum competencies in public health emergency law for mid-tier public health professionals. The model includes nine key competencies in three domains: systems preparedness and response, management and protection of property and supplies, and management and protection of persons.

This web page provides links to information from Mental Health America about mental health and the military for military members, their children, and other members of their families. It also features links to non-Mental Health America resources in areas including health benefits, online screening tools, and support for wounded soldiers.

The authors assess the long-term psychological effects on civilians who were exposed to sulfur mustard gas. Many civilians reported emotional distress even 20 years after exposure.

The paper presents findings from a survey of health care workers at nine hospitals in Toronto, Canada, following the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Results showed that workers who treated SARS patients were more likely than other workers to experience long-term adverse outcomes, such as burnout, psychological distress, and posttraumatic stress.

This article applies principles of early mental health intervention to a hypothetical scenario involving the explosion of a bomb loaded with the biological agent anthrax at a location near the Pentagon. It describes lists the key components of early intervention, as well as the long-term interventions needed to address the mental health issues that may arise after an attack.

Military Kids Connect is an online space for military children ages 6 to 17 to communicate with one another and access various resources. It helps children prepare for challenges that can be faced during transitions. Additionally, there are also resources that parents and educators can use to communicate with their children.

This document is intended to help low-income and middle-income countries strengthen their preparedness and response plans, with a focus on the social and mental health consequences of biological and chemical attacks.

This section of the CDC website lists several online preparedness resources that are specific to chemical emergencies.

This guide includes resources for people working with children after a disaster. It covers child development theories in relation to how youth respond emotionally to disasters. It also features suggestions, case studies, and a resource guide. [Author: Speier, A. H.]

This guide discusses culture in general and American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) cultures specifically, highlights risk and protective factors associated with AI/AN cultures, and offers guidance to AI/AN communities in preventing suicide. Tools for community suicide prevention and assessment of risk and protective factors are included in the guide.

This webpage explains what ricin is, its use as a biological weapon, the symptoms of ricin poisoning, and long-term effects.

This pamphlet discusses the characteristics of chemical and biological terrorist threats, suggests ways to detect them, and provides strategies for protection and decontamination.

This app aids those deployed to respond to emergencies throughout the United States in maintaining their own physical, emotional, and social well-being. It includes checklists that help responders pack for deployment, take care of daily needs, maintain important relationships, and reflect on experiences. It also allows the user to create customizable reminders to ensure that critical tasks are not forgotten.

This section of the OSHA web site explains what ricin is and how it can be used as a biological weapon, and highlights related OSHA standards and enforcement policies.

Presents 2012 data from an annual nationwide survey that measures attitudes and perceptions of stress among the general public and identifies leading sources of stress, common behaviors used for stress prevention and management and the impact of stress on our lives.