This comprehensive, authoritative volume meets a key need for anyone providing treatment services or conducting research in the area of trauma and PTSD, including psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, and students in these fields. It is an invaluable text for courses in stress and trauma, abuse and victimization, or abnormal psychology, as well as clinical psychology practica.

This work is a vital set of insights and guidelines that will contribute to more aware and meaningful practice for mental health professionals. Focusing equally on theoretical concepts, culturally valid assessment methods, and cultural adaptation in trauma and resilience, an array of experts present the cutting edge of research and strategies. Extended case studies illustrate an informative range of symptom profiles, comorbid conditions, and coping skills, as well as secondary traumas that can occur in asylum seekers.

This reader-friendly book masterfully explores the nature of traumatic stress and provides spot-on assessment tools for various trauma-related criteria. The second edition updates significant trauma related diagnoses, as well as new theories, research and therapeutic techniques. This collection of physiological and psychological techniques provides professions with a practical, eclectic approach.

Exposure to potentially traumatic events puts individuals at risk for developing a variety of psychological disorders; the complexities involved in treating them are numerous and have serious repercussions. How should diagnostic criteria be defined? How can we help a client who does not present with traditional PTSD symptoms? The mechanisms of human behavior need to be understood and treatment needs to be tested before we can move beyond traditional diagnostic criteria in designing and implementing treatment. No better guide than Retraumatization exists to fulfill these goals. The editors and contributors, all highly regarded experts, accomplish six objectives, to: define retraumatization outline the controversies related to it provide an overview of theoretical models present data related to the frequency of occurrence of different forms of trauma detail the most reliable strategies for assessment to provide an overview of treatments. Contained within is the most current information on prevention and treatment approaches for specific populations. All chapters are uniformly structured and address epidemiological data, clinical descriptions, assessment, diagnosis and prognosis, and prevention. It is an indispensible resource that expands readers’ knowledge and skills, and will encourage dialogue in a field that has many unanswered questions.

This book is intended for clinicians at all levels of experience who seek a guide to the assessment of psychological trauma and its effects. After discussion of the theoretical foundation for understanding human responses to traumatic events, Dr. Carlson addresses both conceptual and practical aspects of selecting and administering measures to assess traumatic experiences and trauma responses. Additional chapters provide guidance in interpreting results of assessments and diagnosing trauma-related disorders and a brief introduction to major forms of treatment of trauma-related disorders. Profiles of 36 recommended measures of traumatic experiences and trauma responses are included and are designed to make it easy to find the information needed to obtain the measures. Measures profiled include self-report and interview measures of trauma, self-report measures of trauma responses, structured interviews for posttraumatic and dissociative disorders, and measures for children and adolescents. Flowcharts provide a quick reference for choosing measures at each stage of the assessment process.

In response to growing national concern about the number of veterans who might be at risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of their military service, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to conduct a study on the diagnosis and assessment of, and treatment and compensation for PTSD. An existing IOM committee, the Committee on Gulf War and Health: Physiologic, Psychologic and Psychosocial Effects of Deployment-Related Stress, was asked to conduct the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment aspects of the study because its expertise was well-suited to the task. The committee was specifically tasked to review the scientific and medical literature related to the diagnosis and assessment of PTSD, and to review PTSD treatments (including psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy) and their efficacy. In addition, the committee was given a series of specific questions from VA regarding diagnosis, assessment, treatment, and compensation. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a brief elaboration of the committee's responses to VA's questions, not a detailed discussion of the procedures and tools that might be used in the diagnosis and assessment of PTSD. The committee decided to approach its task by separating diagnosis and assessment from treatment and preparing two reports. This first report focuses on diagnosis and assessment of PTSD. Given VA's request for the report to be completed within 6 months, the committee elected to rely primarily on reviews and other well-documented sources. A second report of this committee will focus on treatment for PTSD; it will be issued in December 2006. A separate committee, the Committee on Veterans' Compensation for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, has been established to conduct the compensation study; its report is expected to be issued in December 2006.

Evidence-based approaches to diagnosing and treating PTSD in an array of specific populations and settings This timely, practical guide for busy professionals: Covers strategies for those working in specialized practice settings, such as primary care facilities, prisons, and hospitals for the severely mentally ill Offers guidelines for conducting forensic evaluations Provides information on malingering assessment Explores new frontiers in PTSD assessment, including neuroimaging and genetic testing Offers practical guidance on the assessment of most recognized comorbid conditions Discusses the roles of ethnicity, race, and culture in assessing and treating PTSD Offers assessment strategies for specific populations, including veterans, children, and the severely impaired

"The first edition of this book was written in response to the proliferation of research on psychological trauma, along with the growing need for scientifically based evaluation of posttraumatic disturbance and its assessment. The second edition updates and expands on this endeavor. It reviews in detail a number of new trauma-relevant tests that have become available since the last edition and discusses a variety of critical issues associated with trauma-relevant DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) diagnoses. Also included in this second edition is information on additional forms of trauma (e.g., mass violence against noncombatants, including the terrorist attacks of September 2001; life-threatening illness and medical procedures; stalking; and sex trafficking), as well as added material on acute stress responses, complicated grief reactions, adjustment disorders, posttraumatic depression, panic disorder, trauma-related psychosis, "culture-bound" stress responses, peritraumatic dissociation and other dissociative responses, and complex posttraumatic syndromes. In addition, this edition includes a brief analysis of "assault syndromes" (e.g., rape trauma syndrome and battered woman syndrome) as they relate to trauma assessment in forensic contexts. This book devotes considerable attention to different forms of trauma exposure and describes in detail the full range of potential posttraumatic responses. In addition, the reference section is relatively extensive. Although children also experience a variety of difficulties in response to major stressors, this book is limited to adult posttraumatic responses--Intro.

This authored text-reference will be the first comprehensive text in the rapidly growing field of psychological trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder.According to the NIMH, approximately 5.2 million American adults already suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. Caused by everything from combat experience to violent personal assaults to natural disasters and accidents, the incidence of PTSD has already reached epidemic proportions. The profound impact of psychological trauma and the need for proactive and scientifically-based approaches to timely prevention and evidence based treatment is unarguable and mental health programs are seeing a significant rise in the number of PTSD courses offered and services required. As a result, scholars, researchers, educators, clinicians, and trainees in the health care and human and social services need a concise and comprehensive source of authoritative information on psychological trauma and posttraumatic stress. This volume will offer a foundational understanding of the field as well cover key controversies, the influence of culture and gender, and describe state-of-the-art research and clinical methodologies in down-to-earth terms. Clinical case studies will be used liberally. - Concise but comprehensive coverage of biological, clinical and social issues surrounding PTSD - Thoroughly covers evidence-based treatments, enabling the reader to translate current research into effective practice - Exemplifies practical application through case studies

This volume presents cutting-edge cognitive and behavioral applications for understanding and treating trauma-related problems in virtually any clinical setting. Leading scientist-practitioners succinctly review the "whys," "whats," and "hows" of their respective approaches. Encompassing individual, group, couple, and parent-child treatments, the volume goes beyond the traditionally identified diagnosis of PTSD to include strategies for addressing comorbid substance abuse, traumatic revictimization, complicated grief, acute stress disorder, and more. It also offers crucial guidance on assessment, case conceptualization, and treatment planning.