Trauma and forced relocation

Important gains have been made in research in the field of mass human violence and displacement. A subgroup of refugees across cultures and contexts can be identified as suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder and where there is comorbid depression, the combination is associated with substantial disability. Torture continues to emerge as a special form of trauma that increases risk to this posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) condition. Asylum seekers, or stateless persons, suffer particular threats and deprivations. A greater focus on evaluating interventions in the field is urgently needed. A theoretical synthesis is required so that the role of mental health professionals in postconflict societies can be more clearly defined. Curr Opin Psychiatry 13:231-236. (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.