President’s Message
Pakistan has experienced historic and devastating flooding resulting from the interaction between melting glaciers in the northern regions of the country and monsoon rains. Over 1,400 lives have been lost, and over 33 million people are directly affected, experiencing loss of housing, property, livestock, crops, and infrastructure. In addition to the direct effects of the flooding, the country now faces food shortages and the spread of infectious diseases, exacerbated by the potential of the flooding taking months to recede. In addition to the physical health needs of those affected, the mental health toll of the disaster will no doubt be high. The need for scalable prevention and early interventions for trauma-related psychological distress is clear. Building from the knowledge base of the
ISTSS Treatment Guidelines, the Executive Committee coordinated ISTSS’s collaboration with the World Health Organization, and partner Phoenix Australia, to contribute to further guideline development in this area.