SAMHSA Resources

Information Clearinghouses

SAMHSA’s Health Information 

Network (SHIN)

P.O.Box 2345

Rockville, MD 20847-2345

Email: SHIN@samhsa.hhs.gov 

(877) SAMHSA-7 or (877) 726-4727 

(800) 487-4889 (TTY)

(240) 221-4292 (FAX)

www.samhsa.gov/shin

Disaster Technical Assistance 

Center (DTAC) 

www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/dtac

Treatment Locators

Mental Health Services Locator

(800) 789-2647 (English and Español)

(866) 889-2647 (TDD)

www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/databases

Substance Abuse Treatment 

Facility Locator

(800) 662-HELP (4357) (Toll-Free, 

24-Hour English and Español Treatment

Referral Service)

(800) 487-4889 (TDD)

www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov

Hotlines

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

(800) 273-TALK (8255)

(800) 799-4889 (TDD)

SuicidePreventionLifeline.org

Other Federal Resources

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention—Mental Health

www.bt.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/

National Center for Post-Traumatic 

Stress Disorder (PTSD) 

www.ptsd.va.gov/

NMH05-0220

Getting Help

If you feel you need additional information, you may find this list of 

resources to be helpful.
·

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

www.samhsa.gov

A Post-Deployment 

 Guide for 

 Families of 

Emergency and Disaster 

 Response Workers

Returning Home After 

Disaster Relief Work
Returning Home

Reunions following deployment are 

usually eagerly anticipated by all. 

However, they are sometimes more 

complicated than we may think. 

When welcoming a loved one who is 

returning from disaster relief work, 

keep the following in mind:

•	 Homecoming is more than 

an event; it is a process of 

reconnection for your family and 

loved one.

•	 Though coming home represents 

a return to safety, security, and 

return to “normal,” the routines at 

home are markedly different than 

life in a disaster zone. 

•	 In your loved one’s absence, 

you and your family members 

have assumed many roles and 

functions that may have to now 

be renegotiated. Be patient during 

this period and recognize that 

many things do not return, at 

least immediately, to what they 

previously were like.

•	 Go slowly. Your returning loved 

one, you, and your family need 

time—time together if possible—

before exposure to the demands 

of the larger community, friends, 

extended family, and coworkers.

Adjusting to Life at Home

In the disaster environment, it is 

common to talk about things that 

may be upsetting to people not 

directly involved (e.g., dead bodies, 

graphic images). Extreme care should 

be taken by returning family members 

(monitored by loved ones) to ensure 

that relating experiences does not 

unnecessarily upset or traumatize 

others. This is especially important in 

discussing the experience with, or in 

the presence of, children. 

•	 Celebrating a homecoming is 

important and should reflect your 

own family’s style, preferences, 

and traditions.

•	 Talking about disaster experiences 

is a personal and delicate subject. 

Many people prefer to share such 

experiences with a coworker or 

friend. Some may want to talk 

at length about their experience. 

Sometimes the need/desire to talk 

about experiences will vacillate 

a great deal. Let your returning 

loved one take the lead. Listening 

rather than asking questions is the 

guiding rule.

•	 Keeping your social calendar fairly 

free and flexible for the first weeks 

after the homecoming is wise. 

Respect the need for time alone 

and time with especially important 

people such as spouses. Explain to 

those who may feel slighted that 

this is a normal requirement of 

returning personnel.

•	 Your loved one may need time 

to adjust to the local time zone, 

as well as environmental changes 

such as continuous noise or 

interruption. 

•	 Your children’s reactions may 

not be what you or the returning 

loved one may have expected or 

desired. Very often children will 

act shy at first. Older children 

may feel and act angry because of 

their parent’s absence. Be patient 

and understanding concerning 

reactions and give them time to 

get reacquainted.

•	 Be flexible with reasonable 

expectations. It is normal to 

experience some disappointment 

or let down when homecomings 

are not what you had hoped. 

The reality of homecoming and 

reunion seldom match one’s 

fantasies and preconceived 

scenarios.

Increasing attention is being paid to the challenges that recovery workers face as they 

perform their work and then return to their families and pre-deployment duties. As a 

family member of an emergency or disaster response worker, you have faced your own 

challenges in keeping your family functioning while a loved one is away. This brochure 

contains useful information to help you reunite with a deployed family member.
First Things First...

Before most recovery workers are ready 

to return to normal work and family 

duties, it is important to meet some 

basic needs that are often neglected 

during disaster deployment. These 

include the following:

•	 Maintaining a healthy diet, routine 

exercise, and adequate rest/sleep 

•	 Spending time with family 

and friends

•	 Paying attention to health concerns

•	 Meeting neglected daily personal 

tasks (e.g., pay bills, mow lawn, 

shop for groceries)

•	 Reflecting upon what the 

experience has meant personally 

and professionally

•	 Getting involved in personal and 

family preparedness.

Signs of Stress

Following is a list that you may find 

helpful in identifying signs of stress 

in your family or returning loved one, 

including:

•	 Anxiety, fear

•	 Grief, guilt, self-doubt, sadness

•	 Irritability, anger, resentment, 

increased conflicts with friends/

family

•	 Increased use of alcohol or 

other drugs

•	 Feeling overwhelmed, hopeless, 

despair, depressed

•	 Anticipation of harm to self 

or others; isolation or social 

withdrawal

•	 Insomnia

•	 Gait change

•	 Hyper-vigilance; startle reactions

•	 Crying easily

•	 Gallows/morbid humor

•	 Ritualistic behavior

•	 Memory loss, anomia (i.e., difficulty 

naming objects or people)

•	 Calculation difficulties; 

decisionmaking difficulties

•	 Confusion in general and/or 

confusing trivial with major issues

•	 Concentration problems/

distractibility

•	 Reduced attention span and/or 

preoccupation with disaster

•	 Recurring dreams or nightmares

•	 Fatigue

•	 Nausea

•	 Fine motor tremors

•	 Tics or muscle twitches

•	 Paresthesia (e.g., numbness and 

tingling in extremities)

•	 Profuse sweating

•	 Dizziness

•	 Stomach or gastrointestinal upset

•	 Heart Palpitations/fluttering

•	 Choking or smothering sensation

•	 Intrusive thoughts

•	 Relationship problems

•	 Job/school-related problems

•	 Decreased libido/sexual interest

•	 Appetite change

•	 Overly critical, blaming

•	 Decreased immune response.

Possible Redeployment

Leaving home once again and 

returning to the site of a disaster 

or other location is stressful for 

everybody. It is a sad time, and it is 

natural to feel sad, even to cry. You 

have drawn close once again and 

begun to establish routines. Your 

loved one may psychologically and/or 

emotionally distance himself/herself 

in preparation for leaving. Try to 

understand if this happens. 

At the time of departure, it is 

important that you let your loved 

one know how proud you are of their 

sacrifice, and their commitment to 

their job and country. Expressing 

pride while saying goodbye is positive, 

and will strengthen you, your 

children and other family members, 

and the departing family member.

When to Seek Help

Remember, pre- or post-deployment 

stress is a normal reaction to abnormal 

situations like disasters. If you or a 

deployed family member experiences 

the following signs of persistent or 

severe stress, seek help from a licensed 

mental health professional.

•	 Disorientation (e.g., dazed, 

memory loss, unable to give date/

time or recall recent events)

•	 Depression (e.g., pervasive feeling 

of hopelessness and despair, 

withdrawal from others)

•	 Anxiety (e.g., constantly on edge, 

restless, obsessive fear of another 

disaster)

•	 Acute psychiatric symptoms (e.g., 

hearing voices, seeing visions, 

delusional thinking)

•	 Inability to care for self (e.g., not 

eating, bathing, changing clothing, 

or handling daily life)

•	 Suicidal or homicidal thoughts or 

plans

•	 Problematic use of alcohol or drugs

•	 Domestic violence, child abuse, or 

elder abuse