PSYCHOLOGY OF EMERGENCIES IN SPAIN: CURRENT ANALYSIS, NORMS AND REGULATORY PROPOSAL

Abstract

Emergency psychology in Spain has experienced exponential development as a new professional discipline of the psychologist in recent decades. Society has shown a permanent demand for psychologists in mass casualty incidents, disasters, terrorist attacks, traffic accidents, suicides, etc. Consequently, numerous regulations have been developed regarding assistance in these situations which, due to their high impact, can be potentially traumatic. In the present work we present a historical review of the evolution of emergency psychology, the most common symptoms presented as a consequence of these experiences, the impact that these events have had on society, the people affected, and the necessity to provide psychological assistance, both in everyday emergency situations and in major catastrophes. We highlight the importance of the regulation of emergency psychology to guarantee the training qualification of the psychology professionals who will carry out this activity, as well as their incorporation and integration in the public healthcare system

Keywords

• disasters
• mass-casualty incident
• crisis intervention
• normative
• post-traumatic stress disorder