Where Are We Going? An Update on Assessment, Treatment, and Neurobiological Research in Dissociative Disorders as We Move Toward the DSM-5

This article provides an overview of the process of developing the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) of the American Psychiatric Association with a focus on issues related to the trauma-related disorders, particularly the dissociative disorders (DD). We also discuss the highlights of research within the past 5 years in the assessment, treatment, and neurobiological basis of trauma disorders.

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Who is Where, When, doing What: mapping services for mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies

Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) practitioners have, like other humanitarian aid providers, grappled with issues of coordination and associated problems, such as duplication of services, gaps in delivery and unmet needs. To combat this, a mapping tool has been developed to address the issues particular to MHPSS programming, both during and following an emergency. 'Who is Where, When, doing What' (4Ws) is a practical tool to assist the mapping of MHPSS interventions.

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War and the systematic devastation of women: the call for increased attention to traumatic gynaecological fistulae [Holdstock-Piachaud Prize Essay]

The war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the deadliest the world has seen since World War II, with an estimated 5.4 million lives lost since 1998 (IRC 2011). The war, which started in order to depose a dictator and officially ended in 2003 with a peace accord being signed and the country's first democratic elections following in 2006, continues in a different form today (Economist 2011). The DRC has a history of economic activity taking place outside the official, legal ambit of the state, and this has persisted to date.

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Voices of dialogue and directivity in family therapy with refugees: evolving ideas about dialogical refugee care

In this article, we reflect on our evolving ideas regarding a dialogical approach to refugee care. Broadening the predominant phased trauma care model and its engaging of directive expertise in symptom reduction, meaning making, and rebuilding connectedness, these developing dialogical notions involve the negotiation of silencing and disclosure, meaning and absurdity, hope and hopelessness in a therapeutic dialogue that accepts its encounter of cultural and social difference.

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Use of a web portal for support and research after a disaster: opportunities and lessons learned

Background: In this report we describe the development and use of a web portal in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. This large scale disaster confronted many displaced people with death, despair and need for information and support. Awareness and insight in the emotional impact of disasters can provide pportunities for surveillance and early treatment. Moreover, online support systems can contribute to community building, empowerment of victims and resilience.

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Use of a web portal for support and research after a disaster: opportunities and lessons learned. Interact

ABSTRACTBackground: In this report we describe the development and use of a web portal in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. This large scale disaster confronted many displaced people with death, despair and need for information and support. Awareness and insight in the emotional impact of disasters can provide opportunities for surveillance and early treatment.

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Uses and abuses of the resilience construct: loss, trauma, and health-related adversities

The social sciences have no particular claim to the use of the term “resilience.” The word has been in general circulation for centuries and over time has taken on a variety of meanings. In the past several decades, however, resilience has gained currency as a psychological construct, first in the developmental literature on chronic adversity (Luthar, 2003, Masten, 2001) and more recently in the literature on loss, trauma and other forms of acute adversity in adults (Bonanno, 2004).

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Using a delphi process to develop an effective train-the-trainers program to train health and social care professionals throughout Europe

Research has shown that developing a Train-the-Trainers (TTT) program is important if agencies are to implement guidelines, but the most effective way to deliver a TTT program remains unanswered. This article presents data from a 3-round Internet-based Delphi process, which was used to help develop consensus-based guidelines for a TTT programme to deliver to health and social care professionals throughout Europe a curriculum on traumatic stress.

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Understanding the Impact of Trauma Exposure on Posttraumatic Stress Symptomatology: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of trauma exposure on the posttraumatic stress symptomatology (PTSS) of children who resided near the epicenter of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The mechanisms of this impact were explored via structural equation models with self-esteem and coping strategies included as mediators. The findings suggested that the effect of trauma exposure was partially mediated by self-esteem, which subsequently affected coping strategies and finally determined PTSS.

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Treating Multitraumatized, Socially Marginalized Children: Results of a Naturalistic Treatment Outcome Study

Although early-onset, repeated trauma is relatively common in socially marginalized populations and related to numerous negative outcomes, most empirically validated interventions are not especially well tailored to meet the complex and individualized needs of child and adolescent trauma survivors in such contexts. Integrative treatment of complex trauma (ITCT) was developed as a specialized treatment that is empirically informed, culturally sensitive, extendable beyond the short term, and customized to the specific social and psychological issues of each child.

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