Mental Health During Environmental Crisis and Mass Incident Disasters

Erin Wasson; Audry Wieman

doi:10.1016/j.cvfa.2018.02.007

Mental Health During Environmental Crisis and Mass Incident Disasters

Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract. 2018 Jul;34(2):375-388. doi: 10.1016/j.cvfa.2018.02.007.

Authors

Erin Wasson¹, Audry Wieman²

Affiliations

¹ Veterinary Social Work Program, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N5B4, Canada. Electronic address: erin.wasson@usask.ca.
² Ridgeline Vet Services, LLC, 89493 509th Avenue, Lynch, NB 68746, USA.

PMID: 29935723
DOI: 10.1016/j.cvfa.2018.02.007

Abstract

Veterinarians responding to animal health-related incidents are in the same class as first responders and should be aware of similar mental health concerns. Cultivating resiliency, identifying symptoms, and linking individuals to support systems are practical strategies to provide positive outcomes for veterinarians facing difficult experiences. This article explores veterinarians as first responders and farm stress; an overview of mental health responses to trauma; strategies and interventions for individuals, families, communities, and veterinarians; a discussion of boundaries and threshold for managing crisis; barriers and considerations for service provision; and a summary and discussion of future research and curriculum opportunities.

Keywords: Agriculture; Client; Disaster; Emergency; Mental health; Support; Veterinarian.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Disasters*
Humans
Mental Health
Stress, Psychological / etiology
Stress, Psychological / prevention & control
Veterinarians / psychology*