Preparing and responding to major accidents and disasters.

After major incidents and disasters psychosocial support for the people affected is urgent and sometimes predominant. To plan and train staff for psychosocial intervention European and national guidelines have been developed. The European Policy Paper "Psychosocial support in situations of mass emergencies" offers guidance for policy-makers and health-planners. The quality and time of early psychosocial interventions after a traumatic event are important factors for the coping capacity of the people affected. To meet the needs of those affected crisis intervention teams for psychosocial acute care have been established and trained in almost all federal provinces of Austria acccording to the principles of the Policy Paper.