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“Is violence a contagious disease?” The social implications of post-traumatic stress disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Ian P. Burges Watson
Ian P. Burges Watson*
Affiliation:
14 Willowbend Rd., Kingston, Tasmania, Australia 7050. Visiting Psychiatrist, Repatriation General Hospital, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
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Abstract

Some problems related to the formal diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the social implications of the concepts incorporated in the diagnosis are addressed. Increasing worldwide evidence of the circumstances likely to produce a PTSD and of patients of all ages and races satisfying the criteria for the diagnosis suggests a problem of epidemic proportions requiring intensive study.

Keywords

Post-Traumatic Stress DisorderViolencePrevalence StudiesSocial Problems
Type
Perspectives
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 7 , Issue 1 , March 1990 , pp. 47 - 52
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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