Helping first responders: First, do no harm December 18, 2012By
Maiken Scott Emotional trauma after violent events such as
shootings can have a ripple effect -- it doesn't just affect the
victims and witnesses, but also their families and those who
rushed in to help. Mental-health providers say they have learned
a lot in the past decade about the best way to help those who
were first on scene. One important lesson is that "talking about
it" doesn't work for everybody. In fact, it can be harmful for
some people. In the '90s, an approach called "debriefing" became
very popular. First responders had to discuss what they had seen
and lived through with mental-health professionals or in groups.
The debriefing would happen within days or hours of an incident.
University of Pennsylvania psychiatrist Steven Berkowitz says
studies later showed that this actually caused symptoms in some
people who were doing OK. For others, it was inefficient. Today,
he says, the approach is giving people information. "So we
really foc