Applying NIMH‐FEMA Formulas to the Gulf War in Israel: Needs Assessment for Psychosocial Services in Emergencies Available to Purchase

Estimating the needs for psychosocial intervention in the wake of mass emergencies is closely linked to the sharp controversy over the emotional impact of traumatic events. Briefly reviews some of the major positions on this issue to provide background for main discussion. In the USA especially, there have been attempts to incorporate epidemiological‐community‐oriented indicators of impact and not to rely exclusively on clinical diagnosis. There are still questions about these formulas. Despite limitations of the predictive formulas,learning from these attempts in another country could contribute to improving Israeli emergency psychosocial services, should they again be required. Such formulations could also be developed through application to various circumstances.