The psychological after-effects suffered by Vietnam veterans first attracted attention to the effects of war on the psyche. Besides the wounded and mutilated, many carried a more secret wound — that the violence of war had inflicted on their souls — a “ war neurosis. ” Doctors began to talk about post-traumatic stress disorder. Without a doubt, we had forgotten the lessons of history and the many observations of this kind of behavior which have been made since Antiquity.
What are the manifestations of post-war psychic trauma ? And what factors account for its extreme severity in certain people ? Why do certain people suffer from them while others remain unaffected ? And then, what sorts of therapeutic measures may be undertaken to help survivors to again find a harmonious existence ? Dedicated to the psychiatry of war, this book is a voyage into the heart itself.
A career military officer as well as a professor, Louis Crocq directs an emergency psychiatric unit specialized in interventions in cases of war or catastrophy.