Email | Print

We have witnessed heroism, compassion and volunteerism at their finest in the days since the September 11 tragedy. We will continue to mourn and to remember those who perished, but now we must turn to the daunting task of caring for the survivors and the living. Although the terrorist attack on this nation was unparalleled in terms of its toll in death, destruction and scope, we know from experience that mass disasters result in lasting mental health problems.

The National Mental Health Association (NMHA), the Mental Health Association of New York City (MHANYC), and the rest of our 340 state and local affiliates, have been working around the clock to provide information and counseling services throughout the nation. Within minutes of the attacks on the World Trade Center, MHANYC assumed a key role in helping people access needed mental health crisis and trauma-related services. LifeNet—MHANYC's multicultural mental health and substance abuse services hotline, which operates in partnership with the New York City Department of Mental Health—never stopped responding to calls for help. In addition, a communications infrastructure was created through LifeNet to support public mental health authorities and community mental health providers in their efforts to meet the overwhelming human need.

There is a need for all communities to effectively address the health and human service needs of the children and adults touched by any traumatic event. But the great number of children and adults who witnessed this trauma are at substantially increased risk of psychological and physiological distress. We see the impact of these events in New York and Washington, and our affiliates report feelings of continuing distress and uncertainty among individuals across the country. This problem must be addressed strategically and comprehensively.

As a nation, we have failed to create public policy and mental health and human service systems that respond strategically to high-risk populations and events. We know it is crucial for communities to understand how trauma and excessive stress affect the health of children and adults, and to increase support for local services. Because of the recent tragedies, we must make it a public health priority to develop community-wide efforts to reduce the prevalence of mental disorders, and manage the impact of the tragedy on our health and quality of life.

LifeNet, which has been receiving hundreds of calls per day, will expand to absorb the growing demand for treatment assistance. In addition to LifeNet's support for individual needs, the program will establish a new "crisis resource database" to accommodate requests for crisis counseling outreach to groups in the community that have been touched by the catastrophe, such as workplaces, schools and community centers. The crisis resource database will act as a clearinghouse for crisis outreach services and provide information about trauma intervention training programs for professionals. This service has been partly operational since September 13, and plans for full implementation will be in place by mid-November.

Together with NMHA, MHANYC hopes to use its crisis database and hotline services as a potential model for urban disaster planning and response for communities around the nation. It will be important for us to share ideas, lessons learned and resources—within our communities, and among our cities, states and nations. And perhaps now, more than ever, we must be unified in our struggle for me