Psychiatric Times Vol 20 No 4

In this introduction to our Trauma Special Report, Dr. Novac places the articles in historical perspective and reminds the reader of the importance of understanding trauma within today's global constructs and impending war.

As the U.S. Department of Homeland Security raises security levels, Americans frantically take extraordinary precautions to prepare themselves for disaster. How is the public affected by the media and what can mental health care professionals and the government do to help minimize this anxiety?

Inpatient care for the wealthy has arrived--fluffy bath robes, in-room Jacuzzis, a concierge at your beck and call. Do the luxuries of these "resorts" negate the care that is being provided, or can patients have the best of both worlds?

Poetry of the Times

In the wake of the deaths of seven astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, many critics have called for an end to manned space flights. Psychiatrists, however, point to the intangible benefits--including the societal values and desired psychological traits that are modeled by astronauts.

What is secondary traumatization? The authors discuss current research and implications for this controversial and emerging field of study.

The majority of people experience acute stress symptoms following trauma, but the development of posttraumatic stress disorder is the exception rather than the rule. Some investigators hypothesize that PTSD develops following increased nervous system response to trauma. Why only a minority of individuals experience this response, what their risk factors are and when should they be treated is the subject of ongoing research.

Parents who have witnessed traumatic events may pass dysfunctional life views on to their children. How much more vulnerable are these second-generation victims to PTSD and other psychiatric disorders?

The DSM may be flawed, but it is the best available system for organizing and diagnosing mental disorders, and it remains a model for other medical specialties.

Decades of labor have been poured into the formulation of the DSM and its descendants. Is this system of classification still useful and relevant to clinical practice? Should psychiatrists continue to revise it or get rid of it altogether?