This technical guidance reviews the prevalence of some disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depressive and anxiety disorders. Based on best-available evidence regarding risk factors and areas for intervention, eight key priority action areas are identified for consideration by policymakers regarding the mental health of refugees and migrants.
This paper (30 p.) is in response to the treatment of Iraqi asylum seekers and refugees in Europe, it discusses the background of decisions in whether asylum is granted (or not), and criticises some principles in handling this problem.
The article discusses mechanisms of exclusion, practiced by a number of European states, and the associated costs.
Comprehensive information on this topic. The website also provides with the basic legal framework, agencies, as well as education and training materials by lots of quite useful links.
What is the difference between a refugee, an asylum seeker and a migrant? Does it really matter to understand their definition? Yes, absolutely. It’s crucial today to understand what an asylum seeker or a refugee is because of all the misconceptions and misunderstandings around those terms.
What is the difference between a refugee, an asylum seeker and a migrant? Does it really matter to understand their definition? Yes, absolutely. It’s crucial today to understand what an asylum seeker or a refugee is because of all the misconceptions and misunderstandings around those terms.
In this convention the UN frames the important topics how refugees are to be treated, referring to juridical status, employment, welfare and other subjects.
A site for military personnel and others, with a list of facts and resources for patients and their family members who are coping with PTSD, as well as medical professionals assisting with the care and treatment of PTSD patients.
Here you will find “Presenter slides”, a slide-show which presents an overview about PTSD, symptoms, and some considerations according treatment.
A manual about PTSD, its symptoms and treatment, with lots of general thoughts, but all over with the very interesting focus on the impact of PTSD on American Indians and Alaska Native (American Veterans). Maybe in some aspects outdated, but quite interesting.
This represents an overview by the BBC on “Shell Shock”, here in World War I, the historical development of the term, symptoms, treatment at that time. – BBC World Wars in-depth,
Good overview (although some years old and may be therefore in some aspects outdated) on some aspects of the diagnosis of PTSD as a psychiatric diagnosis. Highlights social aspects, the validity of the diagnosis, causes, effects as well as biochemical and anatomical findings.
On this website we find an overview of recent developments in the field of conflict transformation from various perspectives: from academic analysts and practitioners as well as from experts representing different areas of work inside and outside of conflict zones. The site intends to provide continually updated cutting-edge knowledge, experience and lessons learned for those working in the field of transforming violent ethnopolitical conflict.
A standard part of any psychiatric evaluation involves inquiring about a patient’s sleep. Hidden in the answers that follow the basic question of, “How are you sleeping?” are the clues that are needed to diagnose what is ailing the patient seeking help.
Nightmares, distressing dreams that primarily arise from REM sleep, are prevalent among the general population and even more so among clinical populations. The frequency of nightmares and related nightmare distress are linked to both sleep disturbance and waking psychopathology. Based on the extant evidence, nightmares appear to be particularly relevant to posttraumatic stress disorder, and may even be implicated in its pathophysiology.
The scientific community has made major strides in recent years to untangle PTSD, a mental health condition that can trigger flashbacks to a traumatic event or cause one to feel distant and angry. Advancements have been made to understand the reasons behind PTSD, where the condition takes hold in the brain, and which therapies work best.
One of the most common and distressing symptoms of PTSD are nightmares, which occur in 50 – 70% of PTSD patients. It is suggested that sleep problems are a core feature of PTSD, and that they form a risk factor in PTSD development. Despite the high prevalence of nightmares and the distress they cause, first-line treatment in PTSD does not focus on sleep. However, evidence suggests that sleep problems usually remain as residual symptoms after PTSD is treated.
This article represents a debate on PTSD with several aspects not often to be seen in a clinical daily routine, with also ethical aspects. Is PTSD always to be seen as a disease? Which impact do sociopolitical and medical aspects have on setting a diagnosis?
We searched the Cochrane Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Group specialised register (CCDANCTR‐Studies) on 18 August 2005, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library issue 4, 2004), MEDLINE (January 1966 to December 2004), PsycINFO (1966 to 2004), and the National PTSD Center Pilots database. Reference lists of retrieved articles were searched for additional studies.
This is a supplement to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, where information about PTSD, recommended approaches and therapy suggestions are collected. Target group: clinicians/professionals. It gives an good overview, which is unfortunately kind of limited because it`s edited in 1999, and some of the newer therapies (as EMDR) are`nt mentioned yet, as well as recommendation concerning medication can be partially outdated.
A great overview of current approach and treatment, kind of clinical standard. This represents a so called “guideline-watch”, a supplement to get the original guideline (from 2004) up-to-date. Target group: clinicians
This is the complete PTSD-guideline of the “National Institute for Clinical Excellence” / NICE. Great overview, considering all of the importend topics from symptoms, treatment (also regarding children), intervention, recommendations.
This is an article in “The Cochrane Library”, where the author reviews lots of trials of all psychological treatments considered useful by The Cochrane Collaboration. Target group: clinicians/professionals.
A structured therapy that encourages the patient to briefly focus on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories.
Although emergency service personnel experience markedly elevated the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there are no rigorously conducted trials for PTSD in this population. This study assessed the efficacy of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for PTSD in emergency service personnel, and examined if brief exposure (CBT-B) to trauma memories is no less efficacious as prolonged exposure (CBT-L).
TSC is limited to professionals (should not be used as self-test). “The TSC-40 is a research measure that evaluates symptomatology in adults associated with childhood or adult traumatic experiences. It measures aspects of posttraumatic stress and other symptom clusters found in some traumatized individuals. It does not measure all 17 criteria of PTSD, and should not be used as a complete measure of that construct.” – John Briere, Marsha Runt.
The original MMPI was developed in 1939 (Groth Marnat, Handbook of Psychological Assessment, 2009) using an empirical keying approach, which means that the clinical scales were derived by selecting items that were endorsed by patients known to have been diagnosed with certain pathologies
The M-PTSD is a 35-item self-report measure that assesses combat-related PTSD in Veteran populations. Items sample DSM-III symptoms of PTSD and frequently observed associated features (substance abuse, suicidality, and depression).
The MPSS-SR is a 17-item self-report measure that assesses the 17 DSM-III-R symptoms of PTSD. This scale is a modification of the PTSD Symptom Scale (PSS; Foa, Riggs, Dancu, & Rothbaum, 1993), which was a precursor of the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS; Foa, et al.).
The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5) is a semi-structured interview for making the major DSM-5 diagnoses. The instrument is designed to be administered by a clinician or trained mental health professional.
The CAPS is the gold standard in PTSD assessment. The CAPS-5 is a 30-item structured interview that can be used to: Make current (past month) diagnosis of PTSD. Make lifetime diagnosis of PTSD. Assess PTSD symptoms over the past week
A catalogue of the most used assessments, some as direct links, most of the assessments has to be purchased. Neurotransmitter.net There are lots of assessments available, which should help to diagnose and measure PTSD-symptoms. Only some of these assessments are available for free, most of them have to be purchased. Specially the structured clinical interviews are thought to be used only by clinicians. Therefore we present here a list of the most common assessments just with names.
A fact sheet that provides professionals/therapists with answers about the most common questions about PTSD-assessments.
The National Center for PTSD provides a catalogue of many assessments used to measure trauma exposure and PTSD. You will find lots of information about the scales and interviews, and the significance of each. You will not find the assessments themselves here (some can be purchased via website).
First, it’s important to understand that support groups aren’t the same as professional treatment. Formal group therapy is typically run by a mental health professional. Meanwhile, support groups may not be run by a professional. In therapy, you’ll have a safe and confidential space to share your experiences of trauma and PTSD with a trained mental health professional.
A good metaphor for why and how to work with PTSD.
The stress that results from traumatic events precipitates a spectrum of psycho-emotional and physiopathological outcomes. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that results from the experience or witnessing of traumatic or life-threatening events. PTSD has profound psychobiological correlates, which can impair the person’s daily life and be life threatening. In light of current events (e.g. extended combat, terrorism, exposure to certain environmental toxins), a sharp rise in patients with PTSD diagnosis is expected in the next decade.
A detailed Overview of Veterans Affairs research on PTSD, with chapters containing general information about PTSD, as well as about disaster and terrorism, war, and other types of trauma.
An overview with some important points concerning the symptoms children may develop after trauma, contrary to adults. Scientific article, target group: specialists in that field.
This abstract (16 p.) tries to focus on the challenge to diagnose PTSD correctly, especially in children. Quite theoretical in approach, therefore the target group are specialists in that field.
A booklet that provides information about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a mental health condition that can develop after a person experiences a traumatic event. It explains the symptoms of PTSD, how it is diagnosed, who can develop it, risk factors, and resilience factors. It also discusses various treatment options, including psychotherapy and medications, and offers advice for individuals dealing with PTSD as well as guidance for supporting a loved one who may be experiencing PTSD. Additionally, it provides resources for finding help and information about ongoing clinical trials related to PTSD. Target group: patients, family, interested persons.-
A total of 5.6% of respondents met criteria for “broadly defined” PTSD (i.e., full criteria in at least one diagnostic system), with prevalence ranging from 3.0% with DSM-5 to 4.4% with ICD-10. Only one-third of broadly defined cases met criteria in all four systems and another one third in only one system (narrowly defined cases). Between-system differences in indicators of clinical severity suggest that ICD-10 criteria are least strict and DSM-IV criteria most strict. The more striking result, though, is that significantly elevated indicators of clinical significance were found even for narrowly defined cases for each of the four diagnostic systems.
The DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) criteria for diagnosing PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) were established by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). The DSM-IV was published in 1994 and provided specific criteria for the diagnosis of various mental disorders, including PTSD. Since then, newer editions of the DSM have been released, DSM-5, with its fifth edition, text revision was published in 2022, and it is not available for free. It covers all mental health disorders for both adults and children.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was in 2013 included in a new chapter in DSM-5 on Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders. This move from DSM-IV, which addressed PTSD as an anxiety disorder, is among several changes approved for this condition that is increasingly at the center of public as well as professional discussion.
This article provides an overview of understanding of the disorder, origin and developing, and therapeutic aspects. Scientific approach, target group: therapists.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict serves as the leading UN advocate for the protection and well-being of children affected by armed conflict. The mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict was created by General Assembly resolution A/RES/51/77 following the publication, in 1996, of the report by Graça Machel on the impact of armed conflict on children.
The author has undertaken a research on the DDR(disarming, demobilization, reintegration)- programs exemplary on seven countries. The survey discusses difficulties, necessities, problems. Some aspects highlight mental support.
Upon returning to their communities, children formerly associated with armed forces and armed groups–commonly referred to as child soldiers–often confront significant community stigma. Much research on the reintegration and rehabilitation of child soldiers has focused on exposure to past war-related violence and mental health outcomes, yet no empirical work has yet examined the role that post-conflict stigma plays in shaping long-term psychosocial adjustment. Two waves of data are used in this paper from the first prospective study of male and female former child soldiers in Sierra Leone. We examined the role of stigma (manifest in discrimination as well as lower levels of community and family acceptance) in the relationship between war-related experiences and psychosocial adjustment (depression, anxiety, hostility and adaptive behaviors). Former child soldiers differ from one another with regard to their post-war experiences, and these differences profoundly shape their psychosocial adjustment over time.
More than 20 years after the establishment of my office, children are still recruited into armed forces and groups in almost every armed conflict in the world. The UN estimates that tens of thousands of children are associated with armed forces and groups – and we know that their experiences in both state armed forces and non-state armed groups are filled with violence, abuse and exploitation. These children are some of the most vulnerable affected by conflict and yet we find ourselves still having to make the same argument that they need greater support.
These reports discuss effective guiding principles of reintegration among child soldiers. The aim is to bring global attention to the challenges related to the reintegration of children associated with armed forces and groups, and promote better policy, practice and funding in the future.
The report on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children is testimony to the millions of children who have been killed, injured and permanently disabled as a result of armed conflicts. It is testimony to countless others who have been forced to witness and take part in horrifying atrocities. More so, it is testimony to the fundamental crisis of our civilisation. Contemporary conflicts force communities into a moral vacuum in which all restraints have been eroded and discarded ?- a world in which children are no longer considered precious. This demonstrates the failure of the international community to protect and cherish its children.?
This volume is about the important processes involved in young people’s participation in civil conflict. It seeks to define the trajectories of children’s lives in war zones, and highlights the interlinkages, connections and mediated impacts of recruitment into rebel groups, in-group socialization, training and indoctrination. In particular, the authors show how these can influence post conflict return and reintegration outcomes for youth who live through conflict.
A United Nations treaty prohibiting the use of children in hostilities has been ratified by 126 countries, but at least 250 000 child soldiers are currently involved in armed conflicts worldwide. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners struggle to repair the damage. Gary Humphreys reports.
Children who have been used as soldiers are among the most tragic victims of the war in Liberia.1 Although international law forbids the use of children under the age of fifteen as soldiers, many thousands of children have been involved in the fighting.2 The main rebel forces, Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) and the United Liberian Movement for Democracy in Liberia (ULIMO),3 have consistently used children under the age of eighteen, including thousands of children under fifteen. Children under fifteen are reportedly used by the other warring factions that have recently emerged. By all accounts, the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), the troops loyal to the former government of Samuel K. Doe, have not used people younger than eighteen as soldiers during the five-year civil war; however, the AFL has committed egregious offenses against children during the war.
Gives guidance on responding to disaster or terrorism events using the Psychological First Aid intervention. This evidence-informed approach helps to assist children, adolescents, adults, and families in the aftermath of disaster and terrorism. The manual includes in-depth information about each of the eight core actions and accompanying handouts for adults, adolescents, parents and caregivers, and providers.
This report on the voices of girl child soldiers in Colombia is part of a larger study that carried out in-depth interviews with 23 girl soldiers from four different conflict areas around the world.
Violence against children is unacceptable. Addressing this problem requires the work of governments, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector and individual men and women. It also requires that we listen to the voices of child soldiers to understand their story. This is an important aspect of our work on prevention, demobilization and reintegration. This study is an effort in listening to the voices of girl soldiers from four conflict areas around the world.
Discussion (15 p.) how children are reacting and being affected by political violence.
This study (9 p) provides a research in Liberia, where Save The Children UK undertook a study that tracked children associated with armed forces following the DDR process (disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation).
The article (15 p) describes the rehabilitation of formerly abducted adolescents exposed to war in Uganda, and tries to point out appropriate methods.
The findings indicated improvement in PTSD symptoms among former child soldiers despite limited access to care. Family and community support played a vital part in promoting psychological adjustment