The China-Australia training on psychological crisis intervention for medical aid leaders and volunteers after the Sichuan earthquake

For many thousands of years it has been recognised that disasters have significant physical and psychological effects on human society. Some of the earliest written records from Sumeria comment on the destruction of Nippur in 2000 BC and report on the anguish and suffering of the population. More recently, research has provided ample evidence of psychiatric morbidity in the wake of natural and human-caused disasters. Much of the research has focused on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but other conditions such as depression and anxiety disorder have also been reported. Initial high rates of distress usually diminish over the ensuing months, except for the people most intensely exposed to disaster stressors such as threat to life, loss of loved ones and loss of home. Earthquakes have been associated with enduring rates of PTSD as high as 25% in the affected population, highlighting the need for mental health interventions. Children are particularly vulnerable in such circumstances. These issues were again brought to prominence with the Sichuan earthquake that occurred on 12 May 2008: 69 000 people were left dead, 374 000 injured and 4.6 million homeless. Many Chinese psychiatrists, psychologists and volunteers gave up their normal duties to help the affected people, who were experiencing a high level of psychological morbidity. They faced overwhelming levels of distress in the affected population and were keen for further detailed information to carry out their roles more effectively. Soon after the earthquake occurred, a group of experts with experience in the field of mental health in disasters and psychosocial response was formed in Australia to plan and develop an education program. The Australian training team developed resources and presentation material in Australia, which were sent to the Chinese organisers through the leader of the process in China, Professor Ma Hong, of the National Centre for Mental Health, China Center for Disease Control and Prevention/Peking University Institute of Mental Health. The material was translated, shaped to suit local need, and prepared for an education and training program that took place in Chengdu in Sichuan Province in early July, 2 months after the earthquake.