Publications and Magazines
Reconstructing Early Intervention after Trauma
Edited by Roderick Ørner, Clinical Psychologist, Lincoln District Healthcare NHS Trust, UK and Ulrich Schnyder, Head of the Psychiatric Emergency Unit, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland.
The introduction of a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the 1980 edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic & Statistical Manual for Mental Disorder heralded the dawn of modern psychotraumatology. On the strength of the conceptual refinements offered by this new diagnosis, much consideration has been given to the challenge of effecting early intervention after trauma. To do so offered the prospect of preventing initial reactions developing into debilitating chronic disorders with complicating morbidities.
Some of the original proponents of early intervention protocols have until recently continued to claim that such provision will mitigate the effects of traumatic events, prevent the onset of a traumatic stress syndrome, allow early detection of those who may require further help, and help re-establish a homeostatic equilibrium. The evidence base for making these claims, first articulated in the early 1980's has never been made explicit. More recent clinical trials, conducted with individuals and groups, suggest a more qualified position ought to be taken with respect to what should reasonably and reliably be claimed for early intervention techniques.
Currently, the position is of some studies offering qualified support for the notion that early intervention can, under some circumstances, deliver positive outcomes. Other investigations and reviews suggest that there are no distinctively beneficial effects attributed to these interventions. More alarming is a growing cluster of studies warning against this type of early intervention following large-scale disasters, and for those individuals who have particularly marked and intense initial reactions to accident trauma. The optimism, which once prevailed with respect to what early intervention after trauma might achieve, has, in recent years, been replaced by controversy and defensively entrenched posturing. Given the confusion about these matters in the professional, public and media domains, concerns have recently been expressed that the notion of early intervention after trauma may be discredited altogether.
This book aims to provide a comprehensive update on the accumulated experience in the field of early intervention after trauma. The ultimate aim of this book is to reconstruct an informed evidence base.
Contents:
Introduction
Section I: History and Theory
Section II: Current Theories and Conceptualisation of Early Reaction to Trauma
Section III: The Evidence Base for Early Interventions after Trauma
Section IV: The Evidence Base Provided by Early Intervention Strategies Applied
Conclusion
Contributors: D Ajdukovic , M Ajdukovic , B Andrews, A Avery, L Bailly, J Bisson, R Bretherton, C Brewin, R Bryant, S Buus-Jensen, I Carlier, M Cordova, K de Jong, C Freeman, B Gersons, M Gibson, A Hofman, S King, R Kleber, T Lundin, L Mehlum, M Mitchell, R Orner, H Pilgrim, H Resnick, S Rose, J Ruzek, U Schnyder, A Shalev, Z Solomon, S Southwick, R Ursano, L Weisaeth, W Yule
0-19-850834-4 - May 2003 - Paperback - 304 pages - £35.00
Oxford University Press