Early Psychosocial Intervention Following Traumatic Events

A number of factors have led this confusion, including the paucity of generalizable research data directly relevant to mental health intervention in the wake of different types of traumatic events; the limited personal experience of many clinicians in working with major traumatic events; and the conflicting messages that have emanated from the field. If reactions are persisting, increasing, or particularly problematic, a comprehensive mental health assessment is required to determine the individual's needs, with attention being paid to the presentation, background, mental state examination, risk assessment, social factors including support network, and information from other sources including relatives.