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Mental Health and Mass Violence: Evidence-Based Early Psychological Intervention for Victims/Survivors of Mass Violence

A Workshop to Reach Consensus on Best Practices

Early psychological intervention guided by qualified mental health caregivers can reduce the harmful psychological and emotional effects of exposure to mass violence in survivors, according to a national conference report entitled “Mental Health and Mass Violence: Evidence-Based Early Psychological Intervention for Victims/Survivors of Mass Violence—A Workshop to Reach Consensus on Best Practices" (PDF file, 123 pages). The report emphasizes that although more research is needed, existing data, including studies of other kinds of traumatic events, as well as clinical experience, provide useful guidance to the mental health community in responding to mass violence.

The report is targeted to those who deliver psychological interventions to emotionally distressed persons following mass violence, to those who research these issues, and to employers who want to help workers who have experienced this type of emotional trauma. It is also intended to aid officials who must decide what mental health help to include in the local, state, and national responses to survivors of mass violence and terrorism. Prepared by 58 mental health researchers and clinicians from the U.S. and five other countries, the report details what is effective, what is not, and what questions require further research.

The report was developed by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) at the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Departments of Defense, Justice, and Veterans Affairs, and the American Red Cross.

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