Citation

Shah K, Bedi S, Onyeaka H, Singh R, Chaudhari G. Cureus 2020; 12(6): e8821.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Curēus)

DOI

10.7759/cureus.8821

PMID

32742836 PMCID

Abstract

Psychological first aid (PFA) is one of the vital tools in delivering psychological interventions to those who have undergone or experienced traumatic events. Traumatic experiences during calamities, outbreaks of infections, and war can induce a significant amount of stress in the absence of early and effective intervention provided by trained caregivers. The coronavirus pandemic has caused significant levels of fear as governments impose quarantine and lockdown to contain the infection. Countries around the globe have halted several social and economic operations to curb the spread of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). However, panic, helplessness, and horror aided by the infection due to the lack of a definitive cure has exposed the population to significant mental distress, thus warranting psychological intervention.

Language: en

Keywords

mental health; coronavirus; covid-19; pfa; pfa efficacy; pfa models; pfa training; psychological first aid; rapid; telepsychiatry