India, April 22 -- Prompt psychological first aid needs to be provided to victims of natural calamities to minimise the impact of trauma, and people may also be trained to provide such first aid apart from recruiting more counsellors, several experts said at a recent workshop organised on post-disaster mental health.

The workshop titled "Navigating Post-Disaster Mental Health -Calm amid Chaos" was co-organised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The experts said that post-disaster trauma can last for years and hence needs immediate and long-term healing through the Staged Recovery Approach. This is a structured, long-te...