2025 Disaster Mental Health Clinical Trials, Research & Treatment

What is it? Conditions Recovery & Lifestyle Changes Research Further Clinical Trials Conclusion

What is Disaster Mental Health?

Disaster mental health refers to mental health services for victims, first responders, and medical personnel who experience disaster. Disaster can include a wide variety of sudden, catastrophic events that cause loss of life, such as an earthquake, a terrorist attack, or even a global pandemic.

What Conditions Are Associated With Disaster Mental Health?

Traumatic experiences during disaster can produce a variety of mental health conditions that last long after danger ends. Some of these may be related to neurological changes produced by long periods of “fight or flight.”

One of the most prominent conditions associated with disaster mental health is PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.) Once thought common only in military conflict, it is now understood PTSD can come from any intense experience of danger that provokes feelings of helplessness.

Clinical Trials on the Disaster Mental Health

PTSD can have symptoms including flashbacks, memory loss (especially in relation to the traumatic event), anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping, nightmares, and angry outbursts. The vast majority of PTSD sufferers are nonviolent and pose no threat to others.

Anxiety and depression are typical complications from any disaster. Both adults and children may feel guilty, believing they “should have done more.” Emotional flashbacks in which the sufferer re-experiences negative emotions without “seeing” or “hearing” the event, are common.

Disaster Mental Health Recovery and Lifestyle Changes

Disaster mental health treatment often includes a combination of medication and therapy. Medication focuses on reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Therapy can be in a group or one-on-one setting. Its primary goal is to help a sufferer process trauma.

One of the biggest challenges in disaster mental health care is the difficulty sufferers face verbalizing their experiences. Processing the emotions that come from trauma help reduce their effect on a person’s life. Novel approaches such as art therapy help many individuals express trauma in a way that helps. Techniques like journaling may also be used.

Disaster mental health patients need to identify psychological triggers in their environment. These triggers can cause them to re-experience the emotions or sensations of a past trauma. At first, recognizing and avoiding such triggers is advisable. With professional help, it’s possible to overcome the negative associations of triggers in a controlled environment.

Disaster Mental Health Research

Disaster mental health has been a prominent concern in psychology for decades. As researchers have uncovered effects of trauma on the brain, it has become clear profound neurological changes can occur during disaster even if one is not physically harmed.

Disaster mental health research focuses on two main areas: Reduction and treatment. Reduction aims to equip at-risk populations, like police and EMTs, with coping strategies to manage trauma. Treatment focuses on the neurobiology of trauma, creating better clinical resources for disaster mental health.

Why is Further Disaster Mental Health Research Necessary?

Millions of people all around the world are affected by mental health issues arising from disaster. The lessons of disaster mental health apply to everything from the COVID-19 outbreak to individual experiences of sexual assault or other criminal violence. With that in mind, all disaster mental health research has potential to help a broad spectrum of the population.

Disaster Mental Health Clinical Trials

This list contains all disaster mental health clinical trials on record at ClinicalTrials.gov. To feature a clinical trial on our site, contact us.

Ultrasound-facilitated, Catheter-directed, Thrombolysis in Intermediate-high Risk Pulmonary Embolism
on March 28, 2025 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Pulmonary Embolism Interventions: Drug: Anticoagulation with heparin; Device: EkoSonicTM Endovascular System Sponsors: Boston Scientific Corporation; National PERT Consortium, Inc.; University Medical Center Mainz Recruiting
A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Icotrokinra (JNJ-77242113) in Biologic-experienced Participants With Active Psoriatic Arthritis
on March 28, 2025 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Arthritis, Psoriatic Interventions: Drug: Icotrokinra; Drug: Placebo Sponsors: Janssen Research & Development, LLC Recruiting
Therapeutic Exercise for Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy / Subacromial Pain Syndrome - Outcomes and Mechanisms
on March 28, 2025 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Rotator Cuff Tendinosis; Rotator Cuff Tendinitis; Rotator Cuff Injuries; Subacromial Pain Syndrome Interventions: Other: Therapeutic Exercise for Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy / Subacromial Pain Syndrome Sponsors: University of Southern California Recruiting
A Study of Vaccination With 9-valent Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia Coli Vaccine (ExPEC9V) in the Prevention of Invasive Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia Coli Disease in Adults Aged 60 Years And Older With a History of Urinary Tract Infection in the Past 2 Years
on March 28, 2025 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Invasive Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia Coli Disease (IED) Prevention Interventions: Biological: ExPEC9V; Other: Placebo Sponsors: Janssen Research & Development, LLC Recruiting
Combining Antidepressants and Attention Bias Modification in Depression
on March 28, 2025 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Depressive Disorder Interventions: Behavioral: Attentional Bias Modification Sponsors: University of Oslo; University of Oxford Recruiting
Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Two Administrations of COMP360 in Participants With TRD
on March 28, 2025 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Treatment Resistant Depression Interventions: Drug: Psilocybin Sponsors: COMPASS Pathways Recruiting
MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Veterans with Moderate to Severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
on March 28, 2025 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Interventions: Drug: 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; Drug: d-amphetamine; Behavioral: Therapy Sponsors: Stephen Robert Marder Recruiting
Reducing Breathlessness With Dronabinol in COPD Patients
on March 28, 2025 at 4:00 am
Conditions: COPD; Breathlessness; Cannabis Interventions: Drug: Dronabinol 2.5mg Capsule; Drug: Placebo Sponsors: Vejle Hospital; Region of Southern Denmark; Odense Patient Data Explorative Network; University of Southern Denmark; University of Aarhus Recruiting
A Study to Investigate Effectiveness of Tirzepatide Following Initiation of Ixekizumab in Participants With Active Psoriatic Arthritis and Overweight or Obesity in Clinical Practice (TOGETHER AMPLIFY-PsA)
on March 28, 2025 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Psoriatic Arthritis; Overweight or Obesity Interventions: Drug: Tirzepatide Sponsors: Eli Lilly and Company Recruiting
Temporal Differences in Pain, Muscle Stiffness, and Function in Subjects With Plantar Fasciitis After Myofascial Release Therapy
on March 27, 2025 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Plantar Fasciitis of Both Feet Interventions: Other: Myofascial release Sponsors: Universidad Católica del Maule Recruiting
Screening for Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and Cognitive Function in Individuals With History of Stroke
on March 27, 2025 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Stroke; Brain Disease; Vascular Diseases; Cerebrovascular Disorder Sponsors: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Recruiting
ACT for Mental Health in Neurological Disorders
on March 27, 2025 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Neurological Disorders; Mental Health; Executive Function (Cognition); Depression/Anxiety; Stress; Brain Injury; Post-COVID Interventions: Behavioral: ACT-based group therapy Sponsors: Bielefeld University Recruiting

Conclusion

With more people experiencing disaster, stigma around seeking disaster mental health treatment is beginning to fade. Disaster mental health clinical resources will depend on active clinical trials that uncover further information about the brain’s trauma response. Further medical research may help millions of people reclaim their sense of stability.