Critical incident stress debriefings for crisis management in post-traumatic stress disorders

Critical incident stress debriefings (CISDs) are a form of crisis management for rescuers such as police officers, fire-fighters and others involved in rescue efforts during natural disasters. This article describes a qualitative evaluation study of one police department's CISD implementation. Participant observation and semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten police officers involved in violent incidents. Results indicated that CISD was perceived as helpful by the officers in alleviating the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder they experienced after the violent incidents.