Psychiatry: Post-Traumatic Stress

Post-traumatic stress disorder has a long history, and in a military context has had many names (PTSD, war neuroses, shell shock, battle fatigue, or combat stress, to name a few) . Most people don't realise that a special mental health Act was passed in South Australia in 1917 to address the mental health problems of servicemen returning from World War 1.

This act was the Mental Treatment (War) Act (No 1306 of 1917) which described itself as

"An Act to facilitate the Treatment of Mental Disorder resulting from Wounds, Shock or other Causes arising out of Naval or Military Service during the
present War."

Pat Barker (winner of the Booker Prize for Fiction, and the Guardian Fiction Prize), is the author of The Regeneration Trilogy, a series of historical novels which deals with the treatment of shell shock after World War 1.

The Library holds copies of all titles:
Regeneration
The Eye in the Door (Guardian Fiction Prize)
The Ghost Road (Booker Prize for Fiction)

Post traumatic stress also occurs in a civilian context, and regardless of its cause is a seriously disabling condition.

There is a specialist database called PILOTS (Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress) which is devoted to the literature in this field.

Other databases such as PubMed,  PsycINFO, and Embase are additional sources to consider.

Below are links to documents and websites which provide information on post-traumatic stress and its treatment.
I've divided them into two sections, military, and general post-traumatic stress disorder

Use the search box below to find books on the subject of PTSD. You will need to use a number of search options to find relevant subject headings.

For example:-

• war neuroses

• posttraumatic stress disorder

• post traumatic stress disorder

• PTSD

Each of these searches gives different results.

ADF Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy
The 2011 ADF publication Capability through mental fitness: Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, provides a blueprint for the development of the 2012-2015 Mental Health and Wellbeing Action Plan; which will allow the finalisation of the Dunt review (Review of Mental Health Care in the ADF and Transition through Discharge) recommendations, and align Defence with the national mental health reform agenda.

ADF Mental Health and Wellbeing Action Plan 2012-2015

ADF Mental Health Reform Program
Includes full text of a number of reports.

At Ease
Mental Health resources (for both veterans and their families, and health professionals) from the Department of Veterans' Affairs

Dents in the Soul: helping to cope with PTSD
A video produced by the Australian Department of Defence - Joint Health Command, dealing with post traumatic stress disorder in a military context.

DVA Mental Health Strategy
The Veteran Mental Health Strategy was released by the Department of Veterans' Affairs on 27th May 2013.

Mental Health in the Australian Defence Force: 2010 ADF Mental Health Prevalence and Wellbeing Study

Mental Health in the Australian Defence Force and Transition Through Discharge
Includes the full text of Professor David Dunt's Review of Mental Health Care in the ADF and Transition through Discharge, January 2009, as well as the Government's response.

The mental health of serving and ex-Service personnel: A review of the evidence, and perspectives of chief stakeholders
By Chiara Samele. A report prepared by the Mental Health Foundation on behalf of the Forces in Mind Trust, May 2013.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Diagnosis and Assessment
Subcommittee on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder of the Committee on Gulf War and Health: Physiologic, Psychologic, and Psychosocial Effects of Deployment-Related Stress. Washington D.C., National Academies Press, 2006.

Preventing Psychological Disorders in Service Members and Their Families: An Assessment of Programs
Committee on the Assessment of Resiliency and Prevention Programs for Mental and Behavioral Health in Service Members and Their Families, Board on the Health of Select Populations. Edited by Laura Aiuppa Denning, Marc Meisnere, and Kenneth E. Warner. Washington D.C., National Academies Press, 2014

PTSD Compensation and Military Service
Committee on Veterans' Compensation for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Board on Military and Veterans' Health. Washington D.C., National Academies Press, 2007.

Returning Home from Iraq and Afghanistan: Assessment of Readjustment Needs of Veterans, Service Members, and Their Families
Committee on the Assessment of Readjustment Needs of Military Personnel, Veterans, and Their Families, Board on the Health of Select Populations. Washington D.C., National Academies Press, 2013.

Shell shock treatments reveal the conflict in psychiatry's heart
By James Bradley.
The Conversation 6 August, 2014

Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Military and Veteran Populations: Initial Assessment
Committee on the Assessment of Ongoing Efforts in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Washington, D.C., National Academies Press, 2012.

Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Military and Veteran Populations: Final assessment.
Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2014.

Unsung Heroes: developing a better understanding of the emotional support needs of Service families
By Matt Fossey. London, Centre for Mental Health, May 2012.

War Neuroses : Netley Hospital, 1917 : Wellcome Film This film is from the Wellcome Film collection, an online digital collection of moving images on 20th-century healthcare and medicine, chronicling the history of medicine over the last 100 years. The film shows the symptomatology of shell-shock in 18 men and its treatment by two leading R.A.M.C. neurologists in two British military hospitals towards the end of the First World War.

All In The Mind - 9 October 2004 - When trauma tips you over: PTSD Part 1
All In The Mind - 16 October 2004 - The scene of the crime: One too many? PTSD Part 2
All In The Mind - 28 October 2006 - Therapy in the shadow of terror
All In The Mind - 12 February 2011 - The mind in crisis: to debrief or not to debrief?
All in the Mind - 27 April 2014 - Too much reality
All in the Mind - 28 April 2014 - When trauma becomes post-traumatic stress disorder
Transcripts and audios from All in the Mind, a series on ABC Radio National. Other programs can be found here

Australian Guidelines for the Treatment of Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
From Phoenix Australia (Formerly the Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health (ACPMH))

Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire (CTSQ)
The CTSQ is a 10-item self-report screen which can be used to assist in the identification of children at risk of developing PTSD

Bessel van der Kolk
Bessel van der Kolk is a world authority on PTSD. This web page, from the Trauma Center of the Justice Research Institute, describes his work and links to some of his writings.

CDC | Coping with a Disaster or Traumatic Event
From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States.

David Baldwin's Trauma Information Pages
This is a useful site with links to journal articles and reports.

Disaster Resource Center
From the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

NIMH · Coping with Traumatic Events
An extensive collection of resources from the National Institute of Mental Health in the United States.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders - NICE Evidence
From NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) in the U.K., information for both health professionals and the public.

Practitioner Resources
From Phoenix Australia (Formerly the Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health (ACPMH)) Includes annual literature scans from 2003.These are not intended to be a comprehensive literature review and do not provide a critical analysis; rather, they provide a selection of articles published during the year that Phoenix Australia considers important contributions to the trauma and mental health field. Material on military mental health is included.

Preparing for the Psychological Consequences of Terrorism: A Public Health Strategy
Committee on Responding to the Psychological Consequences of Terrorism, Board on Neuroscience and Behavioral Health, Institute of Medicine. Washington, D.C., National Academies Press, 2003.

PTSDinfo.org
A gateway to post traumatic stress disorder information from the Dart Foundation in the United States

Trauma Response®
From the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, a collection of articles, many of which have appeared in their journal Trauma Response.

Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Assessment of the Evidence
Committee on Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Institute of Medicine. Washington D.C., National Academies Press, 2008.

WHO | Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies
A collection of World health Organization documents on refugees and those exposed to conflict situations.