October 10 World Mental Health Day: for universal psychological first aid

Annually, nations around the world commemorate Mental Health Day to highlight the importance of comprehensive care for mental disorders in the quality of life of citizens. On this date, people's access to quality treatment from an early age is put at the center of the discussion in order to reduce the levels of neglect year by year.

During 2016 the world has witnessed environmental and human catastrophes. With two civil wars in Syria and South Sudan, totaling more than 450,000 dead, and a migration crisis that has claimed 10,000 lives, it is necessary to think about the urgent care needed by victims in different contexts. That is why the World Health Organization (WHO), decided to commemorate the importance of universal psychological first aid (PAP): which is the immediate care provided to people suffering from psychological disorders after having survived a crisis.

A more humane approach

Psychological first aid is one of the components of the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020, to which governments committed to WHO. PAP is a type of community care that can provide important solutions within the immediacy of events.

This strategy involves all individuals in a society, regardless of their profession, as they can provide practical help and support to people who have faced a recent moment of crisis and who may cause harm to others or who are so upset that they cannot care for themselves or their children. It is a help that must be carried out within the framework of respect for human rights, safety and dignity, adapting an intercultural approach (that the action itself is adapted to the culture of the people) and always maintaining honest and trustworthy acts.

Some advice given by the WHO on how to act in PAP are:

• Respect the right of people to make their own decisions.

• Keep prejudices and preferences out of their minds.

• Make it clear to people that even if they refuse help now, they will be able to receive it in the future. Respect privacy and keep the person's story confidential, except for imperative reasons.

• Respect dialogue taking into account the person's culture, age and gender.

• Observe: detect people who have severe levels of distress.

• Listen: ask what people need and what concerns them.

• Connect: help people resolve their basic needs, access services, provide information and connect those affected with their families, social leaders or social support networks.