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Disaster Behavioral Health Information Series Resource Center
The SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) provides various resources and useful information for those in the disaster behavioral health field.
All resources for which links are provided are in the public domain or have been authorized for noncommercial use. Hardcopies of some materials may be ordered. If you use content from resources in this collection in program materials, you should acknowledge the source of the materials. Nothing in these other than SAMHSA resources constitutes a direct or indirect endorsement by SAMHSA or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of any non-federal entity’s products, services, or policies.
Did you know you can download your search results? Simply apply search filters and then click on the Download Filtered Resources link to obtain a .csv file with the resources you have found, including each resource’s name, description, date, URL, and source.
This tip sheet describes some of the challenges involved in disaster response work and how these challenges may make responders more vulnerable to substance misuse. It lists signs of substance misuse, suggests ways to address substance misuse issues in yourself or someone you care about, and identifies resources for additional support.
Through this center, SAMHSA provides training and technical assistance to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, tribal SAMHSA grantees, and individuals and organizations who work with AI/AN people. Topics include mental health promotion, suicide prevention, and mental and substance use disorders. The center's website provides information and links to print materials, websites, and webinars.
This guide provides insights and recommendations for disaster responders and first responders, assisting them in effectively handling stress in crisis response situations. It outlines the physiological impact of stress and offers suggestions for both individuals and organizations to encourage and participate in stress management practices.
This website provides information on Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment, which it describes as "an approach to the delivery of early intervention and treatment to people with substance use disorders and those at risk of developing these disorders."
This web page focuses on SAMHSA's National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, which aims to improve treatment and services for youth and families who have experienced traumatic events. It explores childhood trauma and links to resources for parents and caregivers, educators, health professionals, and more.
This web page offers information on the risks of substance use or misuse after a disaster or other emergency. It also gives an overview of short- and long-term risks of substance misuse. It offers tips on how to manage alcohol or drug use and signs that your substance use may have become a problem.
Noting the prevalence of suicide and substance misuse in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth, this resource from the Education Development Center highlights the possibility of promoting protective factors in AI/AN communities to support prevention. It includes examples of positive AI/AN youth development programs and explores unique community factors that can protect against suicide and alcohol misuse.
This part of the HHS ASPR website notes that tribal communities in the United States have distinct cultures, provides some tips for culturally appropriate disaster response with tribes, and links to sources of additional information.
This presentation from the Education Development Center explores strategies for supporting substance misuse prevention in American Indian and Alaska Native populations. The suite of tools provided considers culture-based best practices to ensure traditions, values, and community strengths are measured and supported to promote community health.
This resource from the Education Development Center explores cultural factors unique to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations that influence the prevalence of substance misuse and mental health challenges. The guide identifies strategies for assessing and planning programs for promoting community and individual wellness, with special attention to cultural strengths in AI/AN populations.
This online resource locator lists physicians who have attained authorization to treat individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) with buprenorphine (a semi-synthetic opioid used to treat narcotics use disorders). Site visitors can search for physicians authorized to provide OUD treatment with buprenorphine by city, state, or ZIP code.
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 website provides information on Seeking Safety therapy, an evidence-based treatment that helps people with trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance misuse. It provides information on Seeking Safety trainings and articles on Seeking Safety, trauma, and substance misuse. The book and training on Seeking Safety cost money.
This edition of the SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center's research newsletter describes research on reactions children and youth may have to human-caused disasters such as incidents of mass violence, terrorist attacks, and technological disasters. The edition identifies mental health and substance use issues and conditions that may affect young people after human-caused disasters, as well as approaches and interventions to support them.
Created for emergency healthcare professionals, this blog post from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement highlights how trauma-informed care can benefit both providers and recipients of emergency health services. It considers the needs and challenges of behavioral health emergencies to provide examples of how investment in trauma-informed training and care can support positive patient outcomes and staff safety.
Intended for primary care practitioners, this web page features a recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force regarding screening people for unhealthy alcohol use, which ranges from alcohol use at levels sufficient to cause health problems to alcohol use disorder. Based on an evidence review, the task force recommends screening adults and providing brief behavioral counseling to help reduce unhealthy alcohol use.
This issue of the SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center's research newsletter 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 handout provides information that disaster survivors can use to avoid misuse of alcohol, prescription medications, and other drugs after a disaster. It also provides tips for survivors in recovery to avoid relapse after a disaster.
Part of the Psychological First Aid (PFA) Field Operations Guide, this handout provides information that disaster survivors can use to avoid misuse of alcohol, prescription medications, and other drugs after a disaster. It also provides tips for survivors in recovery to avoid relapse after a disaster.
This toolkit helps service providers for the aging learn more about alcohol and medication misuse and mental illness among older adults. It provides tools such as a program coordinator's guide, suggested curricula, and handouts, including screening tools to help identify problematic alcohol use and depression in older adults.
This article describes research on the process and effects of merging, after Hurricane Sandy, of substance use disorder treatment programs in New York City to ensure continuity of care. Investigators interviewed healthcare practitioners in the programs to understand challenges and measures they took that proved successful in terms of patient retention and both patient and staff health and well-being following the hurricane.
This guide discusses barriers and challenges to accessing substance use disorder and mental health treatment services in rural communities. It also gives information on implementing telehealth as a method to increase access to services and the benefits of telehealth.
Part of SAMHSA's Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) series, this manual provides best-practice guidelines for practitioners offering mental health and substance use disorder treatment services to individuals experiencing homelessness. It defines types of intervention and prevention, stages of recovery, and forms of treatment through discussion and vignettes, as well as a literature review.
Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and Android and BlackBerry devices, this app is designed to support responders in meeting the mental health and substance use-related (behavioral health) needs of disaster-affected communities. It can be used to access preparedness and response information and to find local behavioral health services for referrals.