Psychological response

Children with other chronic medical conditions, such as asthma [37] or atopy [38] and cystic fibrosis, can be prone to sleep disruption either from medication used to treat the underlying condition, or as a result of poor symptom control. In addition, other factors such as the psychological response to illness, family dynamics, hospitalization-related disruption of normal sleep routines, and related secondary symptoms, such as pain, can significantly impact sleep in these children. Medical conditions which may place children particularly at risk for sleep problems also include severe burns, sickle cell anemia, rheumatological disorders, and chronic headaches. 

Fear and avoidance—The fear of the unknown or of uncertainty may be the most debilitating of the psychological responses to disaster. With fear at the core, an individual may act in extreme, and sometimes irrational, ways to avoid the perceived or real threat. 

Describe the immediate psychological response of the individual, family, child, and community following a chemical incident. 

Cropley M, Cave Z, Ellis J, Middleton RW. Effect of kava and valerian on human physiological and psychological responses to mental stress assessed under laboratory conditions. Phytother Res 2002 16 23-27. 

Logistics. The committee observes that the supply chain provides a delivery mechanism for surreptitious chemical or biological attack. Our nation s recent experience with anthrax delivered through the U.S. mail system provides a relevant illustration of the disruption and psychological response that such an attack can cause. Food and water supplies offer similar delivery opportunities. Attacks by such means should be considered within the context of an overall risk assessment, since they could significantly degrade operational readiness. 

There have been many instances when biological agents have been ruled out and all volatile chemicals have been shown to be present in concentrations below those believed to induce symptoms. In all such instances that have been reported in the literature, the symptoms have either been ascribed to ultrasensitive individuals or psychological responses on the part of those reporting the symptoms. Recent research has established that mixtures of... 

Silver, RC, Holman, EA, McIntosh, DN, Poulin, M, Gil-Rivas, V. Nationwide Longitudinal Study of Psychological Responses to September 11. JAMA, 288(10) 1235-1244, 2002... 

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