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The  The Problem 

American  Our mission, as The American Red Cross is 

to alleviate human suffering in the face of 
emergencies. We provide shelter, a hot 

Red Cross 
meal, medical attention, and more. But what 
about emotional support? Isn’t a healthy 
mind just as important as a healthy body? 

By: Teresa Gonzales  Many do not get the needed emotional 

support after experiencing some type of 
traumatic event. Many experience 
depression, anxiety, and sometimes this 
leads to suicide. We can improve this by 
valuing mental health as we do physical 
health.  
The following paper will address:  
 
The effects of natural disasters mentally 
 
Past attempts on mental health 
 
Different factors that may affect how people 
react to disasters 
 
Every year, millions of people are affected 
by both human-caused and natural disasters. 
Disasters may be explosions, earthquakes, 
floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, or fires. In a 
disaster, you face the danger of death or 
some type of physical injury. You may also 
lose your home, possessions, and 
community. Such stressors place you at risk 
for emotional and physical health problems. 
The reactions to these stressors look very 
similar to someone who has experienced 
  trauma. Disasters can cause a wide range of 
mental and physical reactions. You may also 
react to problems that occur after the event, 
“Each person is different  as well as to triggers or reminders of the 
trauma. We the Red cross are here to 
in his or her need for  alleviate any type of injury whether it be 
physical or mental, though we do need to 
compassion” - Dr. Branch  emphasize
  mental health more.   

 
 
 
 
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It is important we emphasize mental health   

because according to a study done in 2015 
by the CDC (central disease and prevention,   
Suicide was the third leading cause of death 
among individuals between the ages of 10  Factors  
and 14, and the second leading cause of 
death among individuals between the ages  There are many factors that can affect how 
of 15 and 34. Also, There were more than  people react to trauma, like natural disasters. 
twice as many suicides (44,193) in the United  Where you come from, your sex, marital 
States as there were homicides (17,793).  status, if children are present, age, if you are 
(graph located on page: 8) The American  a veteran or a relative of a veteran, all can 
Red Cross has attempted to address and 
affect your levels of stress. The following will 
help people with suicidal tendencies while 
we can improve, let’s talk for moment about  explain in detail why these affect people 
what they have tried to do in the past.  individually.  

  Developing countries 
Past Attempts  As part of the world’s largest humanitarian 
network, Red Cross Red Crescent teams 
The American Red cross is made up of 
provide relief and hope in nearly every 
generous volunteers from all over the world. 
corner of the globe. Volunteers often come 
The Red Cross volunteers are all specialized 
from the communities they serve, making us 
in an area such as a Disaster Mental Health 
powerful change-makers. Apart of our 
Volunteer. If you were to become a Disaster 
international services is providing aid in 
Mental Health Volunteer, you would help 
developing countries. ​Developing countries 
people cope with with disasters, serve their 
have more severe mental health impact than 
community, and travel to and serve other 
do disasters in developed countries. This is 
communities. We serve these communities 
true even with less serious disasters. For 
by providing shelter, a hot meal, mental 
example, natural disasters are generally 
attention, and providing comfort. But though 
thought to be less serious than 
we provide those services; many of those 
human-caused. In developing countries, 
survivors are still experiencing severe 
though, natural disasters have more severe 
mental trauma. Not to mention this only 
effects than do human-caused disasters in 
started to be emphasized in 2013 and 
developed countries. The American Red 
nothing has been added to enforce better 
Cross does provide International Services. 
mental health. Studies have looked at 
These factors should be taken into account. 
severe natural disasters, such as the 
People in third world countries have mostly 
Armenian earthquake, mudslides in Mexico, 
likely already been through more than one 
and Hurricane Andrew in the US. The 
natural disaster. Which means they probably 
findings show that at least half of these 
experience PTSD and have possibly lost a 
survivors suffer from distress or mental 
friend or a family member in a previous 
health problems that need clinical care.  
disaster. Volunteers should be aware of 
these possibilities to understand the person 
  they are helping better.  

 
 
 
 
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A Typhoon Haiyan made landfall on  home. Women with spouses also experience 
November 8, 2013, it left a path of  more distress during recovery. Having a 
destruction in its wake. The strongest storm  family member in the home who is extremely 
ever recorded in the Philippines, it claimed  distressed is related to more stress for 
more than 6,000 lives, damaged and  everyone. Marital stress has been found to 
destroyed more than one million homes, and  increase after disasters. Also, conflicts 
wiped out agricultural land and livestock that  between family members or lack of support 
people had traditionally used to earn a living.  in the home make it harder to recover from 
In the disaster’s immediate aftermath, the  disasters.  
global Red Cross network delivered 
lifesaving supplies and services like medical  Age 
care, food, water, shelter materials, and 
mosquito nets. Together, we distributed  Age is a huge factor in stress as well. Adults 
cash grants to 59,000 families affected by  who are in the age range of 40-60 are likely 
the storm, so they could decide for  to be more distressed after disasters. The 
themselves which items were most  thinking is that if you are in that age range, 
important to purchase in the wake of the  you have more demands from job and 
emergency. 6,000 people died, that means  family. Research on how children react to 
someone's dad died, a sister, a friend. The  natural disasters is limited. In general, 
people affected by this were not given the  children show more severe distress after 
emotional support they needed for  disasters than do adults.  
everything they lost.    

Veterans  
Gender and family 
The Red Cross helps members of the 
We the American Red cross want to say that  military, veterans and their families prepare 
we make no discrimination as to nationality,  for, cope with, and respond to, the 
race, religious beliefs, class or political  challenges of military service. The Red Cross 
opinions. We endeavor to relieve the  has served more than 1 million military 
suffering of individuals, being guided solely  families since 9/11 by providing home 
by your needs, and to give priority to the  comforts and critical services on bases and 
most urgent cases of distress. During a  in military hospitals around the world, 
crisis, human beings need help to stay safe  support military families during deployments 
and sustain life, no matter what their  and emergencies, and We continue serving 
nationality, cultural background or  our nation’s veterans after their service 
citizenship status. When an emergency  ends. A brief look at the reach our services 
happens, the Red Cross is going to deliver  have had this year: provided 10, 657 
help to whomever needs it. The American  emergency communication to 18,877 military 
Red Cross will feed, shelter, and provide  members and their families. 
emotional support and other assistance  In 2016, there were 44,965 reported 
without regard to race, religion, gender  suicides in the U.S. On average, the annual 
identity, sexual orientation or citizenship  U.S. suicide rate increased 24% , from 10.5 
status​. ​Almost always, women or girls suffer  to 13.0 suicides per 100,000 people which is 
more negative effects than do men or boys.  the highest record recorded in 28 years. A 
Shouldn’t that be taken into account when  good portion of that is veterans. This is due 
helping a survivor? Disaster recovery is more  to PTSD which many veterans are diagnosed 
stressful when children are present in the  with.  
 
 
 
 
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The suicide rate among middle-age and   

older adult veterans remains high. In 2014, 
approximately 65 percent if all veterans who   
died by suicide were 50 or older. The 
American Red cross is working to help   
reduce that risk. Since PTSD is a mental 
illness, we The Red Cross should be 
 
addressing mental illness’ more. Not all 
Our Approach  
Now that we have explained factors that 
affect people, how do change our approach 
on mental health? We should go about it like 
how a doctor does- let me explain. There is 
an article about this doctor teaching his 
students compassion. His name is Dr, 
Branch. He said, “In my practice, I find that 
each patient is different in his or her need for 
compassion. The art of medicine is not just 
choosing the right medicine but gauging the 
needs and providing reassurance and 
comfort to the patient. A burly man might 
appreciate a pat on the shoulder while an 
elderly woman might like me to hold her 
hand.” Dr. Branch states he has tried a few 
strategies to humanize interaction with 
patients. He asks questions like: What kind 
of work do you do? Where did you grow up? 
Questions about family. Letting the patients 
talk about that made them feel better.  

individuals who commit suicide are veterans.   The American Red Cross is built of generous 
Many suffer from depression and other  volunteers. Even though they are volunteers, 
mental illness’.   they should still get trained properly ; It’s 
The Red Cross and Veterans Crisis  someone’s life you holding in your hands. 
Line/Military Crisis Line work hand in hand to  When a disaster occurs, many lose their 
support military members in need. Active  homes, possessions, and sometimes 
duty military personnel who need help can  everything they own. They are at a fragile 
call the Red Cross at 1-877-272-7337, or the  stage- they need a shoulder to lean on, 
Veterans and Military Crisis Lines at 
someone to tell them that everything is 
1-800-273-8255. We also encourage 
everyone to call the suicide hotline  going to be okay. Many feel like their life is 
1-800-273-8255.   over and there's not point in living. The 
  suicide rate is high after a disaster. So is 

 
 
 
 
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depression and other mental trauma like  The American Red Cross values all lives- and 
PTSD. Just because they are alive doesn’t  you could save someone's life just by being 
mean they are going to okay. The American  a shoulder to lean on.   
Red Cross’ mission is to alleviate human 
suffering- that includes mentally. Let them   
talk about what happened (that is if the 
person wants to) don’t interrupt- just listen.   
They just experienced a life threatening 
experience and their brain probably hasn’t   
processed everything. And it is important to 
empathize with people and not sympathize.  
 

Children seem to show more distress during 

 
and after a disaster. Be more gentle when 
comforting a child. A lot of times, when you 
 
are able to comfort a parent and help calm 
them down- it helps relieve the child a bit. It 
 
is like what Dr. Branch was saying, “A burly 
man might appreciate a pat on the shoulder 
while an elderly woman might like me to   
hold her hand.” Assess how you should 
comfort them or maybe they just want you to   
sit with them; to just be there could be 
enough.     

 
 
 
 
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Sources cited:  

“American Red Cross Standing Tall Against Suicide.” ​American Red Cross​, 
www.redcross.org/news/article/American-Red-Cross-Standing-Tall-Against-Suicide​-​. 

Doctors often struggle to show compassion while dealing with patients.” ​Washington 
Post, 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health/doctors-often-struggle-to-show-compassion-wh
ile-dealing-with-patients/2011/05/02/AFiR8A5G_story.html?utm_term=.192a4c8df1a8  

“Become a Volunteer”, ​American Red Cross, 

http://www.redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer#step1  

“Disaster Relief”, ​American Red Cross, 

http://www.redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer#step1  

“Suicide Rate after Natural Disaster’s”, ​The New England Journal of Medicine​, 
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199802053380607  

“Red Cross, Vet’s Crisis Line Work to Prevent Suicides”, ​The American Red Cross​, 
http://www.redcross.org/news/article/Red-Cross-Vets-Crisis-Line-Work-to-Prevent-Suicides  

“Train my Employees”, ​The American Red Cross​, 

https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/train-my-employees  

 
 
 
 
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“International Services” ​The American Red Cross​, 

http://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/international-services  

“Military Families”, ​The American Red Cross, 

http://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/military-families 

“Transforming the understanding and treatment of mental illness”, ​National Institute of 
Mental Health​, ​https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtml  

 
 
 
 
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