Trauma Interventions in War and Peace

Lead editor Bonnie L. Green, PhD, is Professor of Psychiatry, and Director of Research and Trauma Studies, at Georgetown University Medical School in Washington, DC, where she teaches psychiatry residents and conducts research. She has studied the consequences of traumatic events, including disasters and war, for several decades. Her research at Georgetown has focused on the psychological and physical health consequences of individual traumas experienced by women, including breast cancer, traumatic bereavement, and interpersonal violence. Her recent research focus is the mental health needs of poor women with serious trauma histories who receive their health care in settings serving low-income patients. These include NIMH-funded treatment studies targeting depression or PTSD in primary care. In another NIMH grant, she is studying relationships between patients and providers, how these may be affected by the patient s trauma history and attachment style, and what supports providers might need to help manage patients with trauma-related mental health problems. She is also involved in developing educational and coping interventions for traumatized women in primary care in collaboration with community partners. Dr. Green is past Editor of the Journal of Traumatic Stress, and past President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Peace of mind is a most precious resource, without which neither rich nor poor can know happiness. Yet mental health is undervalued and routinely taken for granted. Moreover, we allow war, torture, violence, poverty, d- ease, discrimination, and domestic abuse to undermine it. The wounds inflicted by these great human ills sicken the individual psyche, tear f- ilies apart, and send shock waves through society. Natural disasters, too, can cause sudden and acute trauma. Often, the damage-a chronic and relentless loss of dignity, self-esteem, and hope-is transmitted from one generation to the next: a sad and painful legacy indeed. Scientists, scholars, and medical and other professionals are seeking continuously to know more about mental health, and to apply their kno- edge. All of us, vulnerable human beings that we are, need to work together to ensure that the environment we live in is conducive to peace of mind, and free of the horrors that jeopardize mental well-being. This publication grew out of the commitment of the United Nations and others to this cause, and is the product of a series of lively meetings that the authors held at UN Headquarters with civil society groups, government officials, and United Nations staff-a dialogue that coincided with the World Health Organization's focus on mental health in 2001. I hope it will be a valuable resource for practitioners, policymakers, and United Nations field and headquarters staff wherever trauma strikes, and wherever peace of mind is threatened.

Overview.- Traumatic Stress and Its Consequences.- Social Deprivation.- Intervention Options for Societies, Communities, Families, and Individuals.- Abuse and Torture.- Child Abuse in Peacetime.- Abuse of Older People.- People with Mental and Physical Disabilities.- Violence against Women.- Survivors of Mass Violence and Torture.- War and disasters.- Children in Armed Conflict.- Refugees and Internally Displaced People.- Former Combatants.- Natural and Technological Disasters.- United Nations Personnel.- UN Peacekeepers and Civilian Field Personnel.- Summary and Conclusion.- A Call to Action.