Traumatic Stress And Long Term Recovery

This evidence-rich collection takes on the broad diversity of traumatic stress, in both its causes and outcomes, as well as the wide variety of resources available for recovery. Its accessible coverage shows varied presentations of post-traumatic stress affected by individual, family, and group contexts, including age, previous trauma exposure, and presence or lack of social resources, as well as long-term psychological, physical, and social consequences. Contributors focus on a range of traumatic experiences, from environmental disasters (wildfires, Hurricane Katrina) to the Holocaust, from ambiguous loss to war captivity. And the book's final section, "Healing after Trauma," spotlights resilience, forgiveness, religion, and spirituality, using concepts from positive psychology. Included among the topics: The Great East Japan earthquake: tsunami and nuclear disaster. Posttraumatic stress in the aftermath of mass shootings. Psychosocial consequences: appraisal, adaptation, and bereavement after trauma. Loss, chaos, survival and despair: the storm after the storms. Aging with trauma across the lifetime and experiencing trauma in old age. On bereavement and grief: a therapeutic approach to healing. Psychologists, social workers, researchers studying trauma and resilience, and mental health professionals across disciplines will welcome Traumatic Stress and Long-Term Recovery as a profound source of insight into stress and loss, coping and healing.

This evidence-rich collection takes on the broad diversity of traumatic stress, in both its causes and outcomes, as well as the wide variety of resources available for recovery. Its accessible coverage shows varied presentations of post-traumatic stress affected by individual, family, and group contexts, including age, previous trauma exposure, and presence or lack of social resources, as well as long-term psychological, physical, and social consequences. Contributors focus on a range of traumatic experiences, from environmental disasters (wildfires, Hurricane Katrina) to the Holocaust, from ambiguous loss to war captivity. And the book's final section, "Healing after Trauma," spotlights resilience, forgiveness, religion, and spirituality, using concepts from positive psychology. Included among the topics: The Great East Japan earthquake: tsunami and nuclear disaster. Posttraumatic stress in the aftermath of mass shootings. Psychosocial consequences: appraisal, adaptation, and bereavement after trauma. Loss, chaos, survival and despair: the storm after the storms. Aging with trauma across the lifetime and experiencing trauma in old age. On bereavement and grief: a therapeutic approach to healing. Psychologists, social workers, researchers studying trauma and resilience, and mental health professionals across disciplines will welcome Traumatic Stress and Long-Term Recovery as a profound source of insight into stress and loss, coping and healing.

This tool kit describes how trauma exposure impacts students' performance and behavior and provides a compendium of programs for schools to support the long-term recovery of traumatized students. It also compares the programs with one another.

In the devastation that follows a major disaster, there is a need for multiple sectors to unite and devote new resources to support the rebuilding of infrastructure, the provision of health and social services, the restoration of care delivery systems, and other critical recovery needs. In some cases, billions of dollars from public, private and charitable sources are invested to help communities recover. National rhetoric often characterizes these efforts as a "return to normal." But for many American communities, pre-disaster conditions are far from optimal. Large segments of the U.S. population suffer from preventable health problems, experience inequitable access to services, and rely on overburdened health systems. A return to pre-event conditions in such cases may be short-sighted given the high costs - both economic and social - of poor health. Instead, it is important to understand that the disaster recovery process offers a series of unique and valuable opportunities to improve on the status quo. Capitalizing on these opportunities can advance the long-term health, resilience, and sustainability of communities - thereby better preparing them for future challenges. Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters identifies and recommends recovery practices and novel programs most likely to impact overall community public health and contribute to resiliency for future incidents. This book makes the case that disaster recovery should be guided by a healthy community vision, where health considerations are integrated into all aspects of recovery planning before and after a disaster, and funding streams are leveraged in a coordinated manner and applied to health improvement priorities in order to meet human recovery needs and create healthy built and natural environments. The conceptual framework presented in Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters lays the groundwork to achieve this goal and provides operational guidance for multiple sectors involved in community planning and disaster recovery. Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters calls for actions at multiple levels to facilitate recovery strategies that optimize community health. With a shared healthy community vision, strategic planning that prioritizes health, and coordinated implementation, disaster recovery can result in a communities that are healthier, more livable places for current and future generations to grow and thrive - communities that are better prepared for future adversities.

This volume synthesizes cutting-edge research on natural processes of resilience and recovery, highlighting implications for trauma treatment and prevention. Prominent experts examine what enables many trauma survivors to heal over time without intervention, as well what causes others to develop long-term psychiatric problems. Identifying key, modifiable risk and resilience factors--such as cognitions and beliefs, avoidance, pain, and social support--the book provides recommendations for when (and when not) to intervene to promote recovery. Illustrative case examples are included. A section on specific populations discusses children, military personnel, and low socioeconomic status or marginalized communities.

Mental disorders have profound social, cultural, and economic effects throughout the world. Although most psychiatry and psychology texts provide some basic data on the prevalence and treatment of mental disorders, no previous book has ever presented such data with the breadth or depth of the current volume. Reported here are the first results of the WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative, the largest coordinated series of cross-national psychiatric epidemiological surveys ever undertaken. The general population surveys in the WMH series span 17 countries in all parts of the world. In many of these countries the WMH surveys provide the first community epidemiological data ever available on mental disorders in the population. The detailed information on lifetime prevalence, age of onset, course, correlates, and treatment of mental disorders in this volume provides mental health professionals and healthcare policy planners with an unprecedented state-of-the-art reference on the cross-national descriptive epidemiology of mental disorders.

"A Mind Frozen in Time" is a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) recovery guide intended for survivors of traumatic experience and their families. It was developed while working with individuals who have suffered traumas related to their military service. However, the themes and principles apply to most types of traumatic experiences and their effects. As a guide to recovery, it is designed to help individuals develop a basic understanding of PTSD, introduce coping skills, aid in symptom management, and provide information about some of the more difficult issues that need to be addressed in PTSD therapy. Chapters are brief, making it easier to comprehend for readers who have difficulty concentrating or retaining what they read. "A Mind Frozen in Time" is for anyone interested in learning the core elements involved in PTSD and how to cope more effectively. "A Mind Frozen in Time" is a much-needed, comprehensive, user-friendly guidebook to understanding and coping with PTSD. In it, Dr. Jeremy Crosby has masterfully broken down PTSD and related problems into easily understood concepts that patients and therapists alike will benefit from immensely. Dr. Crosby's years of clinical training and in-the-trenches clinical work are evident in the breadth and depth of the topics presented. What sets this book apart from others is the unique commitment to an outline writing style wherein educational information is presented in brief sections that are readily digested. The result is an invaluable presentation of sophisticated concepts written in "everyday" language. Therapists will have at their fingertips practical treatment tools to utilize in their work. More importantly, patients and their families will find their questions answered and their hope restored in the pages of this guidebook. -Jonathan M. Farrell-Higgins, Ph.D. Dr. Crosby's book is a valuable tool written in a practical way that will encourage trauma survivors searching for a more peaceful existence. His educational approach and challenging self-reflection are the steps by which recovery is possible. -Gary A. Fast, MD

This document provides information on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and war-related stress for veterans & their families. It begins with background on PTSD and traumatic events, then describes common symptoms of PTSD and why they develop. The next section reviews problems associated with PTSD, such as depression, anxiety, and impacts on work & family. The final sections provide suggestions on coping with the disorder and describe treatment methods.