Trauma and Trauma-Related Disorders
Over the past decade, the September 11th terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the ongoing toll of the Iraq war have served to draw public attention to the plight of trauma survivors and the families of victims. Trauma, however, does not only happen in large public crises. On a daily basis, both children and adults experience interpersonal violence and serious accidents that threaten their lives and physical well-being.
Trauma exposure is associated not only with injury, death, and economic loss, but also with painful and debilitating emotional disorders, both acute and long-term. Seven people in every hundred have had posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point in their lives, and many more have had other problems related to traumatic experiences. Most people with posttraumatic psychological problems are neither adequately diagnosed nor treated, leading to far worse outcomes. While the research on trauma-related disorders has made great strides in the last decade, existing knowledge has not been broadly translated into useful interventions for survivors of traumatic events. Effective treatments for PTSD exist, but many providers and survivors do not know this. It is imperative for the mental health field to develop models, techniques and tools for delivering effective, feasible treatments to survivors suffering from trauma-related disorders.
Because of the prevalence of trauma and its serious consequences, trauma-related disorders have become a major area of clinical and research interest for Psychiatry faculty. Three relevant centers are affiliated with the Department: the National Center for PTSD, the National Center for Disaster Mental Health Research, and the Dartmouth Trauma Interventions Research Center. The missions and members of the centers overlap, but each has a specific purpose. The Dartmouth Trauma Interventions Research Center is closely aligned with the Psychiatric Research Center, whose members also conduct research on trauma, as well as a broad range of psychiatric issues.