Dear Readers,

Asian Disaster Preparedness Center’s vision of “safer communities and sustainable development through disaster risk reduction” extends to all aspects of our activities. Our work in Public Health in Emergencies is no exception. By focusing on Mental Health  and  Psychosocial  Support,  ADPC  seeks  to  alleviate  the  trauma  felt  by individuals in communities who have experienced disaster. ADPC  has  initiated  its  Mental  Health  and  Psychosocial  Support  initiative,  with support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and technical support from the Center for Crisis Psychology (CCP). We aim to continue building capacity regionally in this field and thus hope to reduce the widespread psychosocial conse-quences of disasters.
 
The Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies Training Program was conceptualized in 2009 by MFA, CCP and ADPC. It was pilot tested in Bangladesh with BRAC, as the lead partner-agency of the program from January 2011 to May 2012. Since then, the program has been implemented in other vulnerable countries, such as Vietnam.

The psychological impacts of disasters, as observed in disaster events such as the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, Cyclone Nargis in 2005, the Pakistan Earthquake in 2005, the Sichuan Earthquake in 2008 and the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011,  are  immense  and  are  unfortunately  often  underestimated.  Those  that  are affected, as articles in this edition of Asian Disaster Management News elaborate, hesitate to seek support for fear of being stereotyped as a “mental health patient”.  Misguided stigmas surrounding mental health support in emergencies are a reality for individuals experiencing trauma throughout South and Southeast Asia. Our work in mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies aims to minimize stigmas associated with the topic.

This edition of Asian Disaster Management News hopes to build an awareness of
the  mental  health  and  psychosocial  support  needed  in  Asia.  In  the  upcoming
months, victims of Rana Plaza building collapse of 25 April 2013, like many other
individuals in disaster-affected areas across the region, will need continued mental
health  and  psychosocial  support.  We  hope  to  cooperate  with  other  actors  in  the
region to minimize the psychological impact of disasters and to provide the support
required  to  those  in  need.  In  order  to  strengthen  mental  health  and  psychosocial
support in our region, we need to focus and direct our efforts in policy development,
stakeholder  relations,  capacity  development  for  health  care  providers  and  trauma
alleviation for community members.

Sincerely,

N.M.S.I Arambepola
Editor-in-Chief