Five principles of crisis intervention: reducing the risk of premature crisis intervention.

Crisis intervention, as it has evolved over the last five decades, has clearly demonstrated its effectiveness as a tool to reduce human distress. Nevertheless, as with any effort to alter human behavior, there are risks associated with crisis intervention. One such risk is that of premature intervention. Premature intervention may not only waste valuable intervention resources, but may serve to interfere with the natural recovery mechanisms of some victims. By clearly defining the nature of the crisis phenomenon itself, premature intervention may be averted.