Just a few weeks after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, the citizens of Haiti are facing much more devastation from an earthquake that claimed the lives of nearly 1,300 individuals, seriously injured at least 5,700 people and left thousands more displaced due to total destruction of their homes or other serious damage, as of Monday, August 16th. As anticipated, yet another major storm, Tropical Storm Grace, hit the Caribbean nation later on Monday, increasing the numbers of deaths to nearly 2,000 and injured to 7,000 and causing more trauma before Haitians had a chance to begin coping with impact of the earthquake.
Meanwhile, Haiti is still striving to recover from an earthquake
that occurred in 2010 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016. The nation
also continues to struggle with the coronavirus pandemic,
poverty, drugs and gangs.
"These dire circumstances undoubtedly have and will continue to
have profound, long-lasting impacts on the mental health of
individuals throughout Haiti. Depression, anxiety and other
mental health disorders, as well as substance use, are likely to
not only develop, but also worsen as Haiti has a severe shortage
of mental healthcare and addiction treatment providers," said
Debra L. Wentz, PhD, President and CEO of the New Jersey
Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, Inc.
"The shock of unpredictable disasters and their devastating
consequences often lead to the development of post-traumatic
stress disorder and a lack of hope resulting from the loss of
parents, other loved ones, homes, jobs and other aspects of
stability that survivors had prior to these horrific events," Dr.
Wentz said.
"As we have seen with other natural crises, including the
COVID-19 pandemic, as well as man-made disasters, such as 9/11,
the full continuum of behavioral healthcare services must always
be available for everyone. There are both immediate and lingering
impacts on individuals' mental health, which could include
substance use, that need to be identified and addressed as soon
as possible. The earlier treatment can begin, the more
significantly risk can be reduced of these disorders becoming
severe and potentially leading to death by suicide or overdoses,"
Dr. Wentz emphasized.
"NJAMHAA exhorts disaster recovery specialists, mental healthcare
and substance use treatment counselors, and other healthcare
providers to provide any support they can to Haiti through an
international relief effort. Tragedies such as the earthquake
affect everyone in our global community, and it is imperative to
help each other in such difficult times, especially where
healthcare resources are so terribly lacking," Dr. Wentz stated.
