VIOLENCE
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action will depend on the context and the needs of those traumatized individuals who are being targeted for psychological first-aid ( 15 ).
CORE ACTIONS
1 . Contact and engagement- initiate contact the targeted individuals in a nonintrusive , compassionate and helpful manner .
2 . Safety and comfort- enhance immediate and ongoing safety if any element of dangerousness still remains at the scene of a violent act or death and provide physical and emotional comfort .
3 . Stabilization- calm and orient the emotionally overwhelmed or disoriented persons who have been traumatized by an event .
4 . Information gathering- identify immediate needs and concerns , gather additional information , and tailor PFA interventions . ( DO NOT ask for a detailed description of the traumatic event itself as this can prove to be counterproductive and actually worsen the psychological status of a traumatized person ).
5 . Practical assistance- offer practical help to those who have been traumatized in addressing immediate needs and concerns .
6 . Connections with social support- help establish brief or ongoing contacts with primary support persons and other sources of support , including family members , friends and community helping resources .
7 . Information on coping support- provide information about stress reactions and coping to reduce distress and promote adaptive functioning .
8 . Linkage with collaborative services- link survivors with available services needed at the time or in the future .
Further information about the application of Psychological First- Aid can be obtained from the World Health Organization , the International Red Cross , the National Child Stress Network and the US National Center for PTSD .
Whether you are a health care provider , friend , family or just a concerned individual wanting to help people newly traumatized by the ongoing violence in Louisville , a knowledge of psychological first-aid may well be the difference between the development of a mental health disorder versus eventual psychological stabilization of the traumatized individual .
References
1 . Louisville Metro Police Data . Year End Homicide Investigations
2 . Rich , S , Mellnick , T , Kelly , K , et al . “ Murder with Impunity , Where Murders Go Unsolved .” The Washington Post , published online June 6 th , 2018 .
3 . Gillikin , C et al . Trauma Exposure and PTSD Symptoms Associated with Violence in Inner City Civilians . Journal of Psychiatric Research . Volume 83 , 1 7 .
4 . Breslau N , Kessler R , Chilcoat H , et al . Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the Community : the 1996 Detroit Area Survey of Trauma . Arch Gen Psychiatry . 1998 Jul ; 55 ( 7 ): 626-32 .
5 . Donley S , Habib L , Jovanovic T , et al . Civilian PTSD Symptoms and Risk for Involvement in the Criminal Justice System . J Am Acad Psychiatry Law . 2012 ; 40 ( 4 ): 522-9 .
6 . Prins , A ., Bovin , M . J ., Kimerling , R , et al . The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 ( PC-PTSD-5 ). 2015 .
7 . Fu , C . and Underwood , C . A Meta-review of School-based Disaster Interventions for Child and Adolescent Survivors . Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health . 2015 ; ( 161 ), 27 .
8 . McCabe OL , Perry C , Azur M , et al . Psychological First-aid Training for Paraprofessionals : a Systems-based Model for Enhancing Capacity of Rural Emergency Responses . Prehosp Disaster Med . 2011 Aug ; 26 ( 4 ): 251-8 . Epub 2011 Oct
9 . Pekevski J . First responders and psychological first aid . J Emerg Manag . 2013 Jan-Feb ; 11 ( 1 ): 39-48 .
10 . Bell , CC , Lessons Learned from 50 Years of Violence Prevention Activities in the African American Community . Journal of the National Medical Association . 2017 ; 109 , 4 , ( 224 )
11 . Brymer M , Jacobs A , Layne C , et al .: Psychological First Aid : Field Operations Guide . 2nd ed . Washington , DC : National Center for PTSD , 2006 .
12 . World Health Organization : Psychological First Aid : Guide for Field Workers . Geneva : WHO , 2011 .
13 . Kulka , R . A ., Schlenger , et al .: Trauma and the Vietnam War generation : Report of findings from the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study . ( 1990 ). New York : Brunner / Mazel .
14 . Kang , H . K ., Natelson , B . H ., et al .: & Murphy , F . M . Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-like illness among Gulf War Veterans : A population-based survey of 30,000 Veterans . American Journal of Epidemiology , 157 ( 2 ): 141-148 , ( 2003 ).
15 . Published on The National Child Traumatic Stress Network ( https :// nctsn . org )
Dr . Bozeman practices at the UofL Hiram C . Polk , Jr ., MD Department of Surgery
Dr . Campbell practices at the UofL Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences .
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