INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL ON EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES
Personal Preparedness Planning
Home > Personal Preparedness Planning > Disability Specific Preparedness > Psychiatric Disabilities

Psychiatric Disabilities

A psychiatric disability is when mental illness significantly interferes with the performance of major life activities, such as learning, thinking, communicating and sleeping, among others. A person with a psychiatric disability may have difficulty processing emergency warnings and alerts, or focusing on instructions under duress.

Every disaster situation brings more than environmental and property damage. Many people experience emotions of fear, panic and shock as well as a sense of cooperation and teamwork. These are natural reactions to unusual situations. How people deal with their emotions will vary – some will experience a worsening or return of a mental illness, for some it will trigger a new mental illness.

The following web sites have more information about emergency preparedness for individuals with psychiatric disabilities:

Please note: The Web sites listed below are not federal government websites, and may not necessarily operate under the same laws, regulations, and policies as federal websites.