Importance of psychological first aid during disasters
Disasters are natural or manmade conditions that cause physical, economical and social losses, stop or hinder daily life and activities, and make it difficult to find solutions by the own resources of a community. Due to earthquakes and similar disasters individuals might encounter symptoms of psychological anxiety of which severity and period changes as in other extraordinary conditions threatining life and personal integrity.
These reactions are natural reactions given to an extraordinary condition and their severity reduce in the process of time. Primary damages of disasters are loss of life and property but physical and psychic damages emerging in the forthcoming periods are very significant as well. Not only individuals who have directly experienced a disaster, but also families and close relatives of disaster victims, individuals helping disaster victims and individuals witnessing this event through media can be faced with psychological problems.
The aim of this guide is to direct disaster victims,authorized individuals and volunteers about how to cope with symptoms of psychological anxiety caused by disasters as informing them about psychosocial response and psychological first aid, which is one of the most important steps performed during the stages and when it is not possible to direct individuals to experts. In the light of this information, enabling individuals to get over this kind of conditions with the least damage is aimed during the first 72 hours after an earthquake.
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