Psychological First Aid - Understanding and Responding to Emotional Trauma

Introduction

Mental health is important for overall health and well-being. Emotional, psychological, and social well-being are the major aspects of mental health. It influences what we feel and our daily activities and social well-being. It appreciates our weaknesses and strength and enhances our social status and well-being. It is a significant thing vital in day-to-day functioning and professional life. Psychological first aid is training given to people to reduce the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. It is a multidisciplinary approach for assisting people for a short duration and enhancing long-term adaptive functioning.

What Is Psychological First Aid (PFA)?

Psychological first aid (PFA) is an evidence-based program for human resilience (the capacity to recover quickly). PFA provides healthy recovery and helps cope with stress symptoms, and provides support and assistance in a healthy recovery following a public health emergency, personal crisis, natural disaster, or traumatic event. Mental health first aid aims to give someone peace and mental stability who is developing a mental health problem. People experiencing a mental health crisis can get help and support from psychological first aid. Until the crisis or problem is solved, the affected individuals are given treatment.

What Does PFA Involve?

The PFA program involves the following:

• Giving non-intrusive, practical care and support.

• Assessing people’s needs and concerns.

• Helping people address their basic needs.

• Listening to the victim but not forcing them to speak

• Comforting people and helping them feel calm.

• Helping people connect to the information, services, and support they need.

• Protecting people from further harm.

Who Will Require Mental Health Aid?

Mental health first aid helps people with the following problems:

• Anxiety.

• Depression.

• Substance use problems.

• Eating disorders.

• Gambling problems.

• Psychosis (a state of disconnection from reality).

What Are the Signs and Symptoms That Require Serious Monitoring and Counseling?

The signs and symptoms that require monitoring and counseling include the following:

Having one or two of these symptoms usually does not indicate mental illness. If the symptoms have lasted for several weeks or are impacting their usual activities, they will need multidisciplinary team support. Professional support and help are given to a person experiencing the following symptoms. The symptoms include:

• Abnormal or unusual thinking.

• Hallucinations.

• Extreme mood changes.

• Restless, agitated, and disorganized behavior.

• A marked decrease in activity.

• Difficulty concentrating.

• The significant drop in performance at work or school.

• Significant withdrawal from friends and family.

• Neglecting self-care (neglecting personal appearance and hygiene and eating poorly).

• Suicidal thoughts or behaviors.

• Non-suicidal self-injury (deliberate self-harm).

• Destructive or high-risk behavior.

• Confusion and disorientation.

• Emotional outbursts.

• Weight or appetite changes.

• Being quiet or withdrawn.

• Substance use problems.

• Feelings of guilt or worthlessness.

• Changes in behavior or feelings that have lasted longer than 2 weeks.

Some common stress reactions include:

• Confusion.

• Fear.

• Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.

• Sleep problems.

• Physical pain.

• Anxiety.

• Anger.

• Grief

• Shock.

• Aggressiveness.

• Withdrawal.

• Guilt.

• Shaken religious faith.

• Loss of confidence in self or others.

It helps a person with mental health problems such as:

• Suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

• Aggressive attitude.

• Panic attacks.

• Non-suicidal self-injury.

• Psychotic states.

• Alcoholism.

• Drug use.

What Are the Steps in PFA?

The steps of psychological first aid are as follows:

• Contact and engagement.

• Safety and engagement.

• Stabilization.

• Information gathering.

• Practical assistance.

• Connection with social supports.

• Coping information.

• Linkage with services.

What Are the Goals of Physiological First Aid?

Physiological first aid is a program that decreases the painful stress situations after the person experiences a traumatic incident and resolves the physical discomfort the person undergoes after physical trauma. Mental health first aid gives solutions to someone going through a mental health problem. The goals of PFA include the following:

• Appropriate professional treatment is given until the mental crisis issue is addressed.

• PFA is helpful for people who feel emotionally distressed after a crisis event. Although many people cope well enough with crises, others may feel overwhelmed, confused, fearful, sad or angry, or numb. Specific help, such as emergency medical care is given to individuals who are emotionally unstable, disoriented to the ecosystem, or inability to care for themselves.

• PFA allows patients to create a compassionate environment for themselves, fellow responders, and disaster survivors.

• It assesses what a person might need and provides immediate support.

• It helps develop good coping mechanisms.

• The psychological problem is the severe destruction of mental health that greatly exceeds the coping capacity of the affected individuals.

• It helps patients with acute stress disorder.

What Are the Aims of Psychological First Aid?

Psychological first aid aims to create and sustain an environment of:

1. Safety.

2. Calm and comfort.

3. Connectedness.

4. Self-empowerment.

5. Hope.

Who Can Offer PFA?

A healthcare worker can help someone who has been the victim of violence, or they can be a teacher or police officer or emergency medical technician, psychiatrist, and psychologist. They will provide information on how to approach a new situation safely and not cause harm to the actions.

What Are the Uses of Psychological First Aid?

The uses of psychological first aid include the following:

• A caring, comforting presence and education are given by providing counseling on how to manage mental stress.

• It motivates the existing defense and coping skills.

• It is a tool that can be used to reduce stress levels. Understanding the stress reactions and utilizing psychological first-aid principles can enhance family, workplace, and community resilience.

• Mental health and other disaster response workers provide an evidence-informed modular program to support children, adolescents, adults, and families after a traumatic event or disaster.

• PFA is provided in all languages.

• Delivered in nearly every response environment imaginable.

• PFA training is available in both online programs and in-person training programs.

• Tailored PFA programs solve unique cultural or population-specific problems.

Conclusion

Mental health first aid is an evidence-based training program that explains mental health and drug abuse. The program or training provides the necessary skills to reach out and give proper help and support to someone experiencing a bad mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a crisis. The goals of PFA are broadly recognized as reducing immediate distress and optimizing short and long-term functioning.