Discuss chemical dependency as either a primary or secondary concern for disaster management. List three potential concerns and identify a possible solution for each. Choose and defend which one is the primary solution.

here are three different answers just paraphrase really one good answer

Answer #1

During disasters, victims experience a wide variety of reactions, most of which revolve around about their natural response to difficult times. Stress, due to exposure to disasters is one of the concerns during disaster management that leads to increased chemical dependency among disaster victims (Adams et al., 2015). A possible solution for this issue is monitoring the emotional and physical health of the victims and reporting their needs to facilitate them being helped.

A second concern is the stressful working environment of emergency responders. During disasters, they may be required to work extra shifts under trying conditions where their resources are limited (Ko et al., 2008). The pressure, in return, may be hard to manage, and as a result, they end up turning to chemical dependency as a possible solution. Chemical dependency may affect their ability to serve victims, and therefore, they need prior counselling and adequate training to prepare them for the mental.

Finally, people suffering from chemical dependency have a hard time during disasters since they are alienated from the caretakers, medicines, recovery environments, and their loved ones. Such challenges may have an adverse effect on their recovery process and some may turn back to their previous addictions. Whereas the previous solutions were secondary, advance preparation is the primary solution to this type of issues. Preparation enables people to identify care centers set up for victims suffering from such issues, source of medicine and other necessary supplies, where to seek professional help, and, above all, be prepared to deal with an anticipated difficulties during disasters.

References

Adams, Z. W., Danielson, C. K., Sumner, J. A., McCauley, J. L., Cohen, J. R., & Ruggiero, K. J. (2015). Comorbidity of PTSD, major depression, and substance use disorder among adolescent victims of the spring 2011 tornadoes in Alabama and Joplin, Missouri. Psychiatry, 78(2), 170-185.

Ko, S. J., Ford, J. D., Kassam-Adams, N., Berkowitz, S. J., Wilson, C., Wong, M., … & Layne, C. M. (2008). Creating trauma-informed systems: child welfare, education, first responders, health care, juvenile justice. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39(4), 396.

Answer #2

Chemical dependency is a secondary concern for disaster management. This is because when a crisis happens emergency managers are concerned with evacuating or treating people, not necessarily their specific conditions. Especially in large-scale emeregcencys such as Katrina. Emergency managers are worried about saving lives over treating overall conditions.

A concern with chemical dependent patients is where do you put them they may be easily agitated, sick, and will do anything to get high again. This puts others in emergency shelters at risk as well. A possible solution is to house people who are going through withdrawal or other symptoms in a different room or level to avoid confrontation.

How do you treat patients who are on methadone or other alternatives while an emergency is going on also how do you know their dosage? This becomes an issue with integrity and the lack of EMR’s that are readily accessible. The possible solution for this is to have a system or methadone clinics on wheels to access to have this information available.

The last concern is where do they go after the emergency has ended. Do the emergency teams send hem back to the same streets where they came from? These communities are not as resilient as they may seem. They may try to bounce back to their old habits and overdose because their tolerance levels have changed. I think a solution to this is to give them information and possible transportation to facilities outside of their neighborhood. This gives them the opportunity to escape the drugs and enter a new environment. This one is ideal for me because I think it can produce the most positive outcome.

Reference:

Department of Health. (n.d.). Alcohol, Medication, and Drug Use After a Disaster. Retrieved November 9, 2018, from http://www.health.state.mn.us/oep/responsesystems/…

Answer#3

After the occurrence of a disaster, people may experience a variety of reactions. Some may show resilience while others may show signs of stress. Some people may increase their use of alcohol and other drugs as stress coping mechanisms. This continued use of alcohol and other drugs puts them into many risks-short and long-term (Esterly and Neely, 2013). People who already have a mental health disorder have higher chances of abusing substances after a natural disaster.

Preparing for disasters and recovering from them is essential to the behavioral health of communities and individuals. There are various potential concerns regarding alcohol and drug abuse after a disaster. These may include:

(a) Social support. After a disaster, those affected may lack social support. These people may start using drugs in order to cope with the situation. Many people believe that drugs and alcohol can help them soothe themselves. This lack of social support is one reason that substance abuse increases after natural disasters. Availability of social support can, therefore, help to prevent chemical dependency (Patel, et al., 2016).

(b) Healthcare services. Inadequate healthcare services may lead to increased substance abuse. The government should, therefore, ensure that healthcare professionals are availed to educate the affected populations on safe ways to reduce depression and anxiety that may result from a disaster.

(c) Psychological and emotional problems. These may include family separation, displacement, abuse or violence and may make those affected engage in alcohol and drug abuse. Local governments should therefore ensure that those affected are compensated and reunited with their families.

The primary solution to chemical dependency is to ensure that there are enough health care professionals to serve the affected population. These professionals should provide substance abuse assessments and treatment, including individual counseling and aftercare. Treatment can also include non-drug physical and psychological treatments (Patel, et al., 2016).

References

Esterly, R., & Neely, W. (2013). Chemical Dependency and Compulsive Behaviors. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.

Patel, V., Chisholm, D., Parikh, R., Charlson, F. J., Degenhardt, L., Dua, T., … & Lund, C. (2016). Addressing the burden of mental, neurological, and substance use disorders: key messages from Disease Control Priorities. The Lancet, 387(10028), 1672-1685.