Grace Owen explores the whole spectrum of support systems and their value for health carers in times of sudden disaster

The major disasters which have occurred over the last year or so, have inevitably given rise to a great deal of publicity in the various professional journals. Much attention has been given to the clinical, managerial and organisational aspects of coping with such incidents, but considerable concern has also been expressed over both short and long term effects on the staff involved. Most writers describe the symptoms of the effects of stress, both in the immediate situations and in the longer term, and post traumatic stress syndrome' has now become a recognisable feature and part of our vocabulary.