Psychosomatic medicine and biodefense preparedness--a new role for the American Psychosomatic Society.
Biodefense preparations in the United States have focused mostly on improving biosurveillance and hospital surge capacity in the event of an outbreak or a weapons of mass destruction (WMD) event. However, what if an invisible bioweapon or dirty bomb was released in a major population center, or if avian flu took hold with sustained human to human transmission? Suddenly, we need to combine efforts from psychosomatic medicine and general medicine with public health practice to triage nonexposed patients with somatic symptoms from those with medical sequelae resulting from hazardous exposures. This would better enable the limited acute care resources to be directed to those most in need of urgent medical care. Furthermore, psychosomatic medicine experts are potentially important players in biodefense planning related to risk communication and health education strategies in a WMD scenario or outbreak in which individuals must make informed choices about their need for immediate medical attention.
Locke
Steven E
SE
Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. slocke@hms.harvard.edu
D001694:Biological Warfare; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D003469:Culture; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005107:Explosions; D006266:Health Education; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D024382:Professional Role; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D011611:Psychosomatic Medicine / Q000266:history / Q000639:trends*; D011634:Public Health; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000266:history / Q000639:trends*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D023481:Terrorism; D014218:Triage / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States; D014857:Warfare