Comments on: London Bombings: Guardian Journos Disorientated http://www.spring.org.uk/2005/07/london-bombings-guardian-journoshtm.php Understand your mind with the science of psychology - Mon, 04 May 2009 10:30:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jeremy (PsyBlog author) http://www.spring.org.uk/2005/07/london-bombings-guardian-journoshtm.php/comment-page-1#comment-19503 Jeremy (PsyBlog author) Sun, 10 Jul 2005 10:59:00 +0000 http://spring.org.uk/2005/07/london-bombings-guardian-journos-disorientated.php#comment-19503 Thanks for that clarification Russell - very useful. Here's a news story backing up what you say and also addressing survivor guilt. <br /><br />Another article hints at the psychological training received by those engaged in the grisly task of recovering bodies from the tunnell. Thanks for that clarification Russell - very useful. Here's a news story backing up what you say and also addressing survivor guilt.

Another article hints at the psychological training received by those engaged in the grisly task of recovering bodies from the tunnell.

]]> By: Russell http://www.spring.org.uk/2005/07/london-bombings-guardian-journoshtm.php/comment-page-1#comment-19502 Russell Sun, 10 Jul 2005 01:55:00 +0000 http://spring.org.uk/2005/07/london-bombings-guardian-journos-disorientated.php#comment-19502 PTSD is not diagnosed until one month after the traumatic event is witnessed. If you have symptoms immediately after the event, but they do not last at least one month, then you are suffering from acute stress disorder.<br /><br />If the symptoms continue after a month, and remit before three months time, then you had acute PTSD. If they continue longer than three months, then you have chronic PTSD. If no symptoms are exhibited until six months after the event, then you have delayed-onset PTSD. These time differences are mostly arbitrary since the symptoms are similar across each, of course.<br /><br />However, the new trend of "critical incidence debriefing" in which people are given therapy and counselling directly after a horrific event, can actually cause PTSD rates to increase. If people had been left alone many of them would have had symptoms that would have remitted within a shorter time period had they not been forced to undergo such immediate treatment. So, mandatory treatment or suggesting that treatment is very very important <i>right after</i> the event is bad advice.<br /><br />I should dig up the reference to that information, but I'm not at work and don't have access to PsycInfo right now. PTSD is not diagnosed until one month after the traumatic event is witnessed. If you have symptoms immediately after the event, but they do not last at least one month, then you are suffering from acute stress disorder.

If the symptoms continue after a month, and remit before three months time, then you had acute PTSD. If they continue longer than three months, then you have chronic PTSD. If no symptoms are exhibited until six months after the event, then you have delayed-onset PTSD. These time differences are mostly arbitrary since the symptoms are similar across each, of course.

However, the new trend of "critical incidence debriefing" in which people are given therapy and counselling directly after a horrific event, can actually cause PTSD rates to increase. If people had been left alone many of them would have had symptoms that would have remitted within a shorter time period had they not been forced to undergo such immediate treatment. So, mandatory treatment or suggesting that treatment is very very important right after the event is bad advice.

I should dig up the reference to that information, but I'm not at work and don't have access to PsycInfo right now.

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