Abstract
BackgroundTrauma has a major impact on the mental health and wellbeing of people globally. Friends, family and members of the public are often well positioned to provide initial assistance if someone is experiencing extreme distress following a potentially traumatic event. Expert consensus guidelines for high income, Western countries on how to do this were published in 2008. The aim of the current study was to re-develop these guidelines to ensure they are current and reflect best practice.MethodsThe Delphi consensus method was used to determine which helping statements should be included in the guidelines. Helping statements were derived from a systematic search of literature that considered how a member of the public could help someone experiencing extreme distress following a potentially traumatic event. Two expert panels, comprising 28 mental health professionals with expertise in managing trauma and 26 consumer advocates, rated each statement. Statements were accepted for inclusion in the guidelines if they were endorsed by at least 80% of each panel.ResultsOut of 183 statements, 103 were endorsed as appropriate helping actions in providing assistance to someone experiencing extreme distress following a potentially traumatic event. These statements were used to form the re-developed guidelines.ConclusionThis study has resulted in a more comprehensive set of guidelines than the original version, with the endorsement of 103 helping actions, compared to 65 previously. The updated guidelines better represent the complexities of experiencing trauma and the considered approach required when providing first aid after a potentially traumatic event. The additional guidance on providing initial assistance, talking about the trauma, offering short-term assistance and seeking appropriate professional help reflects current knowledge. A notable addition is the inclusion of content on how a first aider can assist after a disclosure of abuse. The guidelines are available to the public and will inform future updates of Mental Health First Aid training courses.
Highlights
Trauma has a major impact on the mental health and wellbeing of people globally
In 2010, mental and substance use disorders accounted for 183.9 million disability-adjusted life- years (DALYs) or 7.4% of all DALYs globally [2]
Participants were from Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America
Summary
Trauma has a major impact on the mental health and wellbeing of people globally. Friends, family and members of the public are often well positioned to provide initial assistance if someone is experiencing extreme distress following a potentially traumatic event. The term “potentially traumatic event” reflects that such events may have little impact on one person but cause severe distress to another. These events may cause anxiety, depression, acute stress disorder (ASD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or other diagnosable mental illness. Do not offer religious solace by saying things like “God has reasons” These statements perhaps reflect a growing understanding that everyone react differently to a potentially traumatic event [31, 32], and it is important that they be given permission and space to do so without judgement or pressure
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