Recent Event Highlights: 'Vicarious trauma' in Haiti sets in, Psychological trauma breakthrough, Earthquake in Haiti, 'De-briefing' used to treat trauma, and 11 more...
Created by danielpeake on Feb 23, 2010
Last updated: 02/24/10 at 12:26 PM
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Tens of thousands of soliders and civilians died and countless more suffer from its psychological impact. US troops return home with record rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide. Ongoing psychological studies attempt to counter these trends and heal the psychologically wounded.
Psychological first aid becomes the most accepted form of treatment for victims of trauma. It involves basic care and guidance for the victims without overwhelming them. The goal is to help reduce stress and get the people through the period after the traumatic event, where they can then offer more individualized treatment methods for those suffering.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122981850&ft=1&f=1128
Aid workers helping with relief efforts in Haiti begin to experience "vicarious trauma," a recently recognized phenomenon in which the people providing relief from a disaster actually become traumatized themselves.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/22/haiti.vicarious.stress/index.html
Haitians turn to music as a coping mechanism in the aftermath of the earthquake. Throughout history, music has been a powerful source of easing psychological trauma and helping people push through turbulent times.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122755214&ps=rs
In a groundbreaking study coincidentally released the day after the Haiti earthquake, Navy researchers discover that taking morphine shortly after a traumatic event may help permanently blunt the negative psychological impact of the event.
The findings offer new ways to treat victims involved in trauma and hope for improved psychological first aid in the future.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/01/morphine_ptsd.html
A 7.0 earthquake devastates Haiti and caused tens of thousands of deaths. Survivors suffer incalculable physical and emotional harm.
Hurricane Katrina nearly decimates New Orleans in one of the worst US natural disasters in history.
The most powerful earthquake in 4 decades struck Asia, causing massive ripple effects including tsunamis that killed more than 150,000 people in Indonesia, India, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Terrorists hijack planes and bring down both World Trade Centers in the worst US terrorist attack in history. The atrocious acts left tens of thousands dead and many more with long-term psychological damage.
Research from "de-briefing" for psychological trauma revealed that the method does not seem to be particularly helpful, and in some cases may actually cause more harm. Psychologists realized that people are too emotionally volatile immediately after a disaster and this invasive, emotional therapy was not effective for most.
The Oklahoma City bombing killed hundreds and traumatized thousands in one of the worst terrorist acts in US history.
Psychologists relied heavily on "de-briefing" as a means of treating victims of psychological trauma. The treatment usually involves many mental health professionals who show up immediately after a natural disaster to talk to the victims in depth about their experience and mental health.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122981850&ft=1&f=1128
Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives or were never accounted for when the Bhola Cyclone struck East Pakistan.
American psychiatry first recognized post-traumatic stress disorder as a real psychological problem after tens of thousands of troops returning from Vietnam began showing signs of mental trauma.
Millions of military and civilian people died as a result of this bloody, drawn-out conflict.
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