AbstractIntroduction Very little is known on the impact of recurrent disasters on mental health.Aim The present study examines the immediate impact of a recurrent flood on mental health and functioning among an affected population in the rural district of Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, India, compared with a population in the same region that is not affected by floods.Methods The study compared 318 affected respondents with 308 individuals who were not affected by floods. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25).

There is now ample evidence from the preclinical and clinical fields that early life trauma has both dramatic and long-lasting effects on neurobiological systems and functions that are involved in different forms of psychopathology as well as on health in general. To date, a comprehensive review of the recent research on the effects of early and later life trauma is lacking. This book fills an obvious gap in academic and clinical literature by providing reviews which summarize and synthesize these findings.

Background Individuals experience the loss of a spouse in varied ways. There is growing recognition of major depressive disorder and complicated grief as distinct post-bereavement disorders. However, most studies focusing on these different courses of functioning have not examined pre-loss functioning. Methods We used data from a prospective population based study to examine depression and grief among conjugally bereaved older adults.

AbstractWhile studies on the consequences of trauma and forced migration on young refugees have focused mainly on their pathology, a focus on resilience in young refugees is needed to adequately represent their response to adversity and to help understand their needs.

Holocaust awareness has become a worldwide phenomenon, and an international free republic of Holocaust researchers has emerged. Among long-term trends in the field of Holocaust studies are the universalization of victimhood and the extension of the circle of perpetrators. Present trends include Holocaust history as local history, the integration of perpetrator and victim histories, and the explanation of perpetrator behavior in ideological terms.

What are the likely mental and related physical health consequences of prolonged exposure to common stressors to detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba? Significant distress leads to high rates of psychiatric disorders, medical problems, and functional impairments. The consequences are severe, physically and psychologically, affecting the individual, his or her family, and the culture at large. Damaging conditions endured by detainees are multiple and severe and are reviewed here in detail.

There is now growing evidence to suggest that the experience of psychosis may be so traumatic for some that it can lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)-type symptoms or post-psychotic trauma symptoms (PPTS). There is, however, less knowledge about what psychological interventions may be helpful in reducing these symptoms. Evidence from the literature, to date, suggests that of the seven studies that have addressed this issue only four were randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

ABSTRACTCompared to psychosocial programs implemented in post-conflict settings those executed in areas of ongoing conflicts may have different effects. Their evidence of efficacy has never been systematically reviewed. We searched PubMed, PsychInfo and the Dutch Tropical Institute Literature Portal from inception to31 January 2013 to identify studies on community-oriented psychosocial and psychiatric/clinical services for adults during ongoing manmade conflict or its direct aftermath. Of 6358 articles screened, 16 met our inclusion criteria.

In 1997 ontwikkelden onderzoekers van de Universiteit van Amsterdam één van de eerste psychotherapeutische toepassingen van het World Wide Web. Ze zetten een protocol voor de behandeling van posttraumatische stress om in een website en nodigden een aantal studenten met posttraumatische stressklachten uit om zich via deze site te laten behandelen. De resultaten waren gunstig. Vrijwel alle deelnemers rapporteerden na behandeling een sterke afname van hun klachten.

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we investigate the long-run effects of World War II on socio-economic status (SES) and health of older individuals in Europe. Physical and psychological childhood events are important predictors for labor market and health outcomes in adult life, but studies that quantify these effects in large samples that cover entire diverse populations are still rare. We will analyze data from SHARELIFE, a retrospective survey conducted as part of the Surveyon Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in 2009.