Citation

Williams R, Kemp V. J. R. Army Med. Corps 2018; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Health Planning Ltd, Sheffield, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, UK Royal Army Medical Corps)

DOI

10.1136/jramc-2017-000880

PMID

29519909

Abstract

The development of the UK's military policy includes the potential for military organisations to deploy in support of humanitarian aid operations. This paper offers an overview of the risks to people's mental health of their exposure to emergencies, major incidents, disasters, terrorism, displacement, postconflict environments in which humanitarian aid is delivered, and deployments to conflict zones. It summarises the psychosocial approach recommended by many contemporary researchers and practitioners. It differentiates the extremely common experience of distress from the mental disorders that people who are affected may develop and introduces the construct of psychosocial resilience. The authors recognise the importance of trajectories of response in separating people who are distressed and require psychosocial care from those who require mental healthcare. Finally, this paper summarises a strategic approach to designing, planning and providing psychosocial and mental healthcare, provides a model of care and outlines the principles for early psychosocial interventions that do not require training in mental healthcare to deliver them.

© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Language: en

Keywords

distress; mental healthcare; psychological first aid; psychosocial care; psychosocial resilience; trajectories of response