Emergency mental health management in bioterrorism events

A bioterrorism event will result in neuropsychiatric and behavioral symptoms not only in persons directly exposed to the biological agents but also in other members of the community including medical personnel and other emergency responders. Medical managers must incorporate general knowledge of the traumatic stress response and an understanding of specific properties of biological agents when planning emergency mental health management of such an event. Well-developed intelligence, rehearsed triage and treatment protocols, and robust public information and communication strategies will positively influence the manner in which the event is perceived by the affected population and, thereby, vitiate neuropsychiatric sequelae. Medical managers should incorporate conservative pharmacologic and evidence-based behavior and psychosocial treatment strategies into the overall medical response. Doing so will maintain the efficiency of the overall response by providing the community with an environment that promotes recovery and enhances the capacity of leaders and decision makers to focus on responsibilities under exceptionally demanding circumstances.