Crisis and Recovery Enhancement (CARE) TA Center

Home / Resources / Addressing the Needs of the Seriously Mentally Ill in Disasters

< Back to search results

Addressing the Needs of the Seriously Mentally Ill in Disasters

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Resource Type: Documents and Publications

Focus Population: Family Members, Peers, People who have experienced Trauma, People with Serious Mental Illness (SMI)

Topics: Behavioral Health Organizational Guidance Docs, Crisis Response System, Family, Peer Support, Psychiatric or Mental Health Stabilization, Trauma-informed

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.