Review of psychiatry trauma and disaster; responses and management vol 22

Provides a concise overview of existing trauma responses and several concrete suggestions for system-wide improvements in known protocols. Draws on the formidable resources of experts within this professional arena to describe how the human organism answers when stressed to the point of distress: chemically molecularly to group-wise; in adults and sub adults; acute and chronic manifestations; and individual vulnerabilities and resiliencies. Ideas flow in a way, touching on familiar concepts such as the notion that previously traumatized individuals will most likely be those most immediately requiring clinical intervention on exposure to fresh trauma and the assertion that the greater the global loss, the greater the injury to the population. The primary subdivision of the book is somewhat unexpected in that neurobiological mechanisms of reaction to and psychiatric epidemiology of psychologically devastating events comprise the first two chapters and discussion of the World Trade Center attacks does not emerge until chapter 3. I would have placed the topical issue at the beginning and developed symptoms and statistics subsequently. The final two chapters properly address early intervention strategies and the role of organized mental health in helping the populace deal with the ever-present threat of weapons of mass destruction.