ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates several features of importance in making a preliminary examination of a nervous breakdown, and therefore of service in emphasising some of the techniques of first aid. The technique of reassurance, which is never radical in its effects, may lead to two major errors, both dependent on a few words of encouragement rousing and powerfully stimulating old beliefs in magic. The chapter discuss the psychopathology of the case with reference to first aid. The technique which saves trouble in the long run is that of interpretation. The dread is all the greater because he has no technique for dealing with the emergency except either to call in a specialist, or to certify the patient, or to recommend a sea voyage for the patient. On first reflection it may seem odd that there is no literature on first aid in psychotherapy comparable with that in general medicine.
