Debriefing by Psychs Does Not Prevent Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The Psychs have no workable methodology to help people after a traumatic events.

A Report in the Psychiatric Times claims:

Despite repeated attempts to document that psychological debriefing can prevent posttraumatic psychopathology, there is no convincing evidence that it does so. Even if the procedure is not harmful, its continued implementation may delay the development of truly effective crisis interventions, while wasting time, money and resources on a method that is, at best, inert

As seen in the report:

Individuals exposed to horrifying, life-threatening events are at heightened risk for posttraumatic stress disorder. Given the substantial personal and societal costs of chronic PTSD, mental health care professionals have developed early intervention methods designed to mitigate acute emotional distress and prevent the emergence of posttraumatic psychopathology. The method most widely used throughout the world is psychological debriefing.

Psychological debriefing is a brief crisis intervention usually administered within days of a traumatic event. A debriefing session, especially if done with a group of individuals (e.g., firefighters), usually lasts about three to four hours. By helping the trauma-exposed individual "talk about his feelings and reactions to the critical incident", the debriefing facilitator aims "to reduce the incidence, duration, and severity of, or impairment from, traumatic stress" (Everly and Mitchell, 1999). [...]

According to Mitchell and Everly (2001), research on their debriefing methods "proves their clinical effectiveness far beyond reasonable doubt." Other scholars, however, have drawn drastically different conclusions. After conducting a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) on debriefing, Rose et al. (2001) concluded,

There is no current evidence that ... psychological debriefing is a useful treatment for the prevention of post traumatic stress disorder after traumatic incidents. Compulsory debriefing of victims of trauma should cease.

Another meta-analysis revealed that individuals exposed to Mitchell's version of debriefing failed to experience symptomatic relief, whereas individuals who were not exposed to CISD did show improvement (van Emmerik et al., 2002). Although most studies have failed to uncover any beneficial effect of debriefing, two have shown that it can impede natural recovery from trauma.

Conclusions

Despite repeated attempts to document that psychological debriefing can prevent posttraumatic psychopathology, there is no convincing evidence that it does so. Even if the procedure is not harmful, its continued implementation may delay the development of truly effective crisis interventions, while wasting time, money and resources on a method that is, at best, inert.

It is of note that according to people who were there at the rescue scene at Ground Zero at the World Trade centers, the rescue personnel wanted to get back to work rescuing their fellows as soon as possible, and to spend 4 hours in debriefing was a crime against the people still under the rubble.

Other groups, such as volunteer ministers attracted far more attention and seemed to be far more effective. To the horror of the psychs in their blue surgical smocks with the word "psych" scrawled on duct tape for a label, who seem to have been avoided.