Johns Hopkins University bioethicists say disaster-response planning has overlooked the needs of people who suffer from pre-existing, serious mental conditions. Survivors already diagnosed with schizophrenia, dementia, addictions and bipolar disorder are vulnerable long before disaster strikes, they point out.In a commentary appearing in the June issue of the journal Biosecurity and Bioterrorism, faculty from the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics say more attention should be devoted to triaging and managing those already identified as having mental disorders.

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