DEALING WITH DISASTERS - DOES PSYCHOLOGICAL DEBRIEFING WORK

The psychological aftermath of disaster causes significant long-term p sychiatric disability and suffering to victims and rescuers alike. Thi s paper examines the effectiveness of psychological debriefing (PD), a n early intervention that is widely used and claimed to reduce long-te rm psychiatric morbidity in the wake of disaster. Numerous factors ham per the design of methodologically sound research in this field and th ere is a lack of controlled studies supporting the efficacy of PD. Fur ther research is needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of any immedi ate psychological intervention before significant resources are alloca ted to their routine provision.