When an accident involves many people and when its consequences are many and serious, we speak of a disaster. Disasters have the same causal fac tors as accidents: they differ from accidents by the gravity of consequences, not by causes. The action of a single individual may result in thousands of deaths and huge financial losses. The metal fatigue of a screw may, by a chain of events, cause an explosion killing hundreds or lead to a break in a dam and a devastating flood. The fact that minor and unpredictable acts can lead to disasters is im portant because it allows us to predict that the...

When an accident involves many people and when its consequences are many and serious, we speak of a disaster. Disasters have the same causal fac- tors as accidents: they differ from accidents by the gravity of consequences, not by causes. The action of a single individual may result in thousands of deaths and huge financial losses. The metal fatigue of a screw may, by a chain of events, cause an explosion killing hundreds or lead to a break in a dam and a devastating flood. The fact that minor and unpredictable acts can lead to disasters is im- portant because it allows us to predict that the...

Based on the 103rd annual meeting of the American Psychopathological Association, Long-Term Outcomes in Psychopathology Research: Rethinking the Scientific Agenda explores the long-term course of illness and functioning of individuals treated for mental health and substance use disorders and the outcomes research derived from these cases. Sections cover topics including: findings from long-term psychopathology outcome studies, problematic case definitions, differing perspectives on the concept of recovery, the need for continued long-term outcomes research, and research priorities for...