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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 web page from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provides guidance for American Indian and Alaska Native people seeking behavioral health information and support. It explains the importance of behavioral health and provides tools for users to learn about substance use disorders, explore tribal behavioral health coverage, and prepare for a behavioral health appointment.
This page provides a frequently updated listing of mental and behavioral health service professionals that offer services for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs). The listing includes practitioners throughout the United States, including information such as language options, contact information, and addresses.
The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant provides funds and technical assistance to all 50 states, as well as a wide range of U.S. territories and a tribal entity. Grantees use the funds to plan, implement, and evaluate activities that prevent and treat substance use and promote public health. Although the program is noncompetitive, it runs on a 1-year term, and eligible entities must submit an application annually.
This web page provides an overview of the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children and the risk factors that may make it more likely for children to develop PTSD. It also describes the signs of PTSD in children and adolescents and different techniques to treat PTSD.
This web page includes resources and information on suicide prevention can be used by researchers, healthcare professionals, and consumers. This page presents sources of help for someone in immediate crisis, signs and symptoms of suicidality, risk factors, and information about research on suicide, as well as links to related resources.
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 report outlines the burden of mental health problems globally, including their impact on substance use disorders. It contains suggestions on how to scale up mental health care in communities as well as resources for prevention.
Part of SAMHSA's Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) series, this handbook provides programs that treat people with mental and substance use disorders with information and tools for disaster planning.
Part of SAMHSA's Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) series, this handbook provides programs that treat people with mental and substance use disorders with information and tools for disaster planning.
The National Institute of Mental Health website has overviews of a number of disorders related to trauma exposure, including anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and substance use disorders.
The MHBG provides funds to grantees states and U.S. territories to provide comprehensive, community-based mental health services to adults with serious mental illnesses and to children with Serious Emotional Disturbance and to monitor progress in implementing systems through which these services are provided.
This online fact sheet discusses some treatments shown to be effective for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including forms of talk therapy as well as medication. The fact sheet notes which treatments have strong research support and which have less support from research and features links to additional information about treatment of PTSD.
TRICARE is the U.S. Department of Defense healthcare program for members of the uniformed services and their families. This website provides information about general health, services, and benefits.
The PTSD Coach app can be used by individuals who believe they may be suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as their families. It provides users with resources they can trust, including PTSD treatments that work. Features also include tools for tracking symptoms, tools for handling stress, and direct links to support and help.
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.
This resource from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network was developed for parents and caregivers to give insight on how and why children grieve, and what you can do to help.
This page discusses ways that disaster responders and mental health treatment professionals can help survivors of disasters in the weeks or months following the disaster. The page suggests ways to reach the full community of survivors and describes Skills for Psychological Recovery, an intervention designed to be used after Psychological First Aid has been used in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
This section of the CDC website provides information on COCA, which prepares clinicians to respond to emerging health threats and public health emergencies by communicating relevant and timely information on disease outbreaks, terrorism events, and disaster response.
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.
This publication includes sections to help substance use counselors work with clients with suicidal thoughts and behaviors. It also includes information for administrators to help them ensure that their substance use treatment programs include components to support clients with suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The guide also features a literature review that has been updated since it was first developed.
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.
This study investigated experiences of people in a treatment program for dependence on opioids (e.g., heroin, Vicodin, OxyContin) in New York City around the time of Hurricane Sandy. Findings highlight how programs and individuals can and do adapt during hurricanes and other disasters to ensure ongoing management of addictions.
This web page provides information on emergency wound care after a natural disaster, including basic steps that healthcare providers can use to asses and manage wounds and rashes.
This report describes a study to identify promising practices for rural mental health and substance use-related programs across the United States. The report explains the importance of promising practices, defines and describes promising practices, and presents in Appendix C the programs included in the study.