Trauma Interventions in War and Peace: Prevention, Practice, and Policy (International and Cultural Psychology) (International and Cultural Psychology)

With traumatic stress an increasing global challenge, the U.N., the NGO community and governments must take into account the psychological aftermath of large-scale catastrophes and individual or group violence. This volume addresses this global perspective, and provides a conceptual framework for interventions in the wake of abuse, torture, war, and disaster on individual, local, regional, and international levels. To be useful to both practitioners and policymakers, the book identifies model programs that can be implemented at every level. 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. Contents......Page 22 WHO: From the Health Perspective......Page 26 1. Introduction......Page 28 2. Traumatic Stress and its Consequences......Page 42 3. Social Deprivation......Page 58 4. Intervention Options for Society, Communities, Families, and Individuals......Page 82 The Ascendant Ethical Self......Page 98 5. Child Abuse in Peacetime......Page 100 6. Abuse of Older People......Page 130 7. People with Mental and Physical Disabilities......Page 154 8. Violence Against Women......Page 180 9. Survivors of Mass Violence and Torture......Page 210 Coordinating Humanitarian Assistance with OCHA: Issues of Psychological Trauma......Page 238 10. Children in Armed Conflict......Page 242 11. Refugees and Internally Displaced People......Page 268 12. Former Combatants......Page 296 13. Natural and Technological Disasters......Page 316 UNSECOORD: Protecting the Protectors......Page 344 14. UN Peacekeepers and Civilian Field Personnel......Page 348 World Bank: An Overview and Some Next Steps......Page 374 15. A Call to Action: Responding to Social and Humanitarian Crises......Page 376 A......Page 388 B......Page 389 C......Page 390 D......Page 393 E......Page 395 F......Page 396 G......Page 397 I......Page 398 L......Page 400 M......Page 401 N......Page 402 P......Page 403 R......Page 405 S......Page 407 T......Page 409 U......Page 410 V......Page 411 W......Page 412 Z......Page 413 To be useful to both practitioners and policy makers, the book identifies model programs that can be implemented at every level. These programs vary in target and intensity to include social policy, safety programs, public education, coordination, capacity building, training, self-help, counseling, and clinical intervention. A core group of chapters covers the general concepts of traumatic stress, intervention, and social deprivation, while others focus on specific traumatic events like refugees and child abuse in peacetime, each addressing the scope of the problem, reactions to the traumatic stressor, intervention issues, and recommendations. One whole chapter is devoted to caregiver reactions. Special features of the book are the integration of cultural, gender, poverty, and marginalization issues into each discussion, as well as the contributions of internationally noted academic and professional experts. U.N. and NGO personnel provided input and feedback on each chapter to provide the best working guidelines available for those responding to trauma around the world

Contributors in mental health, various medical specialties, social work, social sciences, and other fields, most in the developed world, identify strategies for practice and public policy to mitigate the effects of traumatic stressors on people and communities throughout the world. Among the topics are social deprivation, people with mental and physical disabilities, refugees and internally displaced people, natural and technological disasters, United Nations peacekeepers and civilian field personnel, and responding to social and humanitarian crises. The volume was produced by the United Nations and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR