ABSTRACT
All over the world there is growing awareness of the mental health consequences of disasters. There has been a major rethink on the needs of populations surviving disasters. The publication of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines in February 2007 represents a milestone in this area. This is reflected in the regular inclusion of mental health components as part of relief and rehabilitation efforts (IASC 2007). Mental health professionals have become part of the teams of professionals working with disaster-affected populations all over the world (Murthy 2000).
