The Efficacy of a Mental Health Program in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Impact on Coping and General Health

(A collaboration between specialists)

The sequence of violent events that struck the Balkan regions of Croatia and Bosnia- Herzegovina in 1991 to 1995, and the embarrassment about the inability to stop it, prompted the international world to act. Many mental health programs were implemented acknowl- edging that the majority of the civilian population were directly and severely affected by the psychological drama of the war (Jensen, 1996; Soroya & Stubbs, 1998). The massive presence of mental health professionals in this war had been unprecedented (Arcel, 1998).

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Posted in Depression & Mood Disorders, Trauma & PTSD | Leave a comment

Near Ground Zero: Compassion Fatigue in The Aftermath of September 11

The ripple effect of trauma, seen in the aftermath of September 11, create “circles of vulnerability”. The hardest hit are those closest to the epicenter and those who are psychologically closest to the victims, including family members, rescue workers and other helpers.
Working directly with victims and survivors of catastrophic events poses a psychological threat to the caregiver. Over the last decade, secondary traumatic stress, more commonly known as compassion fatigue, has been recognized as a major risk for helpers (Figley, 1995; Stamm, 1997).

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Posted in Couples & Marital Therapy, Trauma & PTSD | Leave a comment