Psychological Implications of Disasters

Technological Disasters Japan Tsunami Disaster March 2011 -- Present Societal Consequences Discussion The earthquake and following tsunami that hit Japan was truly a disaster -- part natural and part technological. It affected the Japanese population in many ways. There were the initial consequences that included massive loss of life and population displacement. However, there are also lasting consequences that can even include factors such as the mental health, physical health, and other societal consequences that can be long lasting.

This analysis will look at the impact to the citizenry from multiple perspectives, discuss the roles of non-governmental agencies (NGOs) in the after math of the disaster, and discuss what organization would lead a recovery response if such an event occurred in the United States. Societal Consequences Discussion The societal consequences that have come as a result of the disaster can be thought of from different perspectives and on many different levels.

The first wave of consequences include the high death toll, the building and infrastructure damages, and the displacement of an estimated three hundred thousand people. The economic damages were estimated to be in the billions and as many as fifteen thousand people lost their lives. Almost three hundred thousand buildings partially collapsed, over a hundred thousand fully collapsed, and the total buildings damaged was well over a million. The disaster also left millions of people without power and water for an extended period of time.

The initial wave of devastation can be hard to grasp and it affected the entire population of Japan directly or indirectly. With the collapse of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, the release of radiation also played a key role. There are also many lasting effects to a disaster that linger far beyond the original devastation. These disasters can have profound and lasting psychological effects on individual and communities that adds a different dimension to the long-term psychological trauma that the event caused (Pietrangelo, 2011).

Such psychological implication are often referred to mass trauma. Ellin Bloch, Ph.D., California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles, who specializes in trauma psychology and recovery, describes the grieving process for mass trauma in this way (Pietrangelo, 2011): "Dr. Bloch cautions that, unlike the grieving process that takes place when we experience loss on an individual or family level, a multiple trauma of this nature creates a sense of grief so colossal that there are "no words to put on it.. no language" that can adequately describe it.

Victims may be unable to describe - or to even know - what they are missing and what they need." Much of the risks associated with psychological trauma depend on the nature of the event and all sub-groups of the population can be affected by the crisis including groups such as women, men, children, and the elderly (IASC, 2007). Each of these groups might require interventions at different levels and through different means.

There is a hierarchy of needs that emerges in the wake of the disaster that ranges from the provision of basic services, community and family support, to more specialized services. It is estimated that a small minority of the people (10-20%) are at risk of developing significant mental health conditions and will require significant mental health care (PSID, N.d.). These issues take a collaborative effort to mitigate successfully and can require the assistance of NGOs.

International NGOs (INGOs), including CWS-Asia/Pacific, has set-up relief and recovery programs in Japan but many of these organizations faced challenges in understanding Japanese working culture, specific challenges of Japanese NGOs, and specific cultural uniqueness of Tohoku region in Japan are pre-conditions for INGOs to operate effectively, and such understanding should be based on the right attitude in partnership that reduces weakness and enhances strength (Kormino, 2015).

This presented a problem for many NGOs to delivery assistance to those in need and created barriers to addressing the psychological and psychosocial problems that arose from the disaster. Many of the psychological and mental health symptoms are treated primarily through counseling and language barriers can prevent this from being an effective treatment. If a similar disaster were to occur in the United States, the response would undoubtedly have to include a collective effort from many different organizations. These organizations would include a series of first-responders as well as.