Mental health experts prepare for Hurricane Sandy's protracted emotional toll

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/03/hurricane_sandy_mental_health.html

The physical destruction left by Hurricane Sandy was immediately visible, but it’s months later — after the immediate crisis has turned to protracted rebuilding — that mental health professionals say the extent of the storm’s emotional toll begins to emerge.

“This is where you see people start to feel demoralized,” said Donna Amundson, the program manager of Traumatic Loss Coalitions for Youth in Piscataway. “You get to the point where people start to feel really worn down, tired and frustrated.”

Meeting basic needs — food, clothing and shelter — occupied storm survivors in the weeks after Sandy hit. But as the months pass and residents live with the stagnation of rebuilding in a disaster zone, experts say signs of post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression may arise. So with the help of grants from aid organizations, health care groups in New Jersey have expanded their resources and readied more counselors and clinicians to provide help for those whose lives have been upended by the storm.

“After the initial trauma it looks like it might be resolved, but it’s not resolved,” said Vera Sansone, who manages clinical services for CPC Behavioral Health, a Monmouth County group that provides mental health care and addiction recovery services, among other programs.

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