ABSTRACT
Disasters are extraordinary events that cause destruction, death, displacement, disappearance, and disarray. A certain percentage of people experience a disproportionate amount of distress or grief during or in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, which may have a significant but short-term psychological and behavioral impact on their day-to-day lives and functioning. Irrespective of the underlying diagnoses, management is complicated by the fact that during disasters there may be total or partial breakdown of established infrastructure, including any capacity that existed earlier. Disasters and complex emergencies are defined by the breakdown of established infrastructure, including any capacity that may have existed to treat mentally ill persons. The global divide and disparities existing within societies become wider during disasters, especially in developing countries. In psychoses, antipsychotic medication is the mainstay of treatment. All patients with moderate-to-severe psychoses should be referred for an assessment by a psychiatrist or a medical officer for mental health or someone with experience in assessing such patients.
