Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PDF)

Despite the growing interest in the role of psychological trauma in
the genesis of psychiatric disorders, few volumes have addressed
these issues from a multidisciplinary and international
perspective. Given the complexity of reslience and posttraumatic
disorder, and given ongoing trauma and violence in many parts of
the world, it is crucial to apply such perspectives to review
existing knowledge in the field and provide directions for future
research.

This book has a broad scope. A key focus is PTSD, because of its
clinical and health importance, its obvious link with trauma, and
its interest for many clinicians and researchers. However, the book
also examines resilience and a range of mental health consequences
of trauma, because it has become increasingly clear that not all
individuals react to trauma in the same way. It is important for
mental health professionals to be aware of the broad range of
potential responses to trauma, as well as of relevant
evidence-based treatments.

The book includes chapters that address a wide range of topics
on trauma-related disorders, including nosology and classification,
epidemiology, neurobiology, pharmacotherapy, and psychotherapy.
Each chapter comprises a critical review of the existing
literature, aimed at being useful for the practitioner. This is
followed by selected commentaries from other authorities on the
topic, representing diverse geographical locations and points of
view, who refine some of the perspectives offered in the review,
provide alternative views, or suggest important areas of future
work.