1/6. Occupational effects of stalking.OBJECTIVE: This case report and discussion describe the psychiatric and social consequences of being a stalking victim, with particular focus on its impact on the victim's occupation. METHOD: Data were gathered from the assessment and arbitration hearing of a female employee who lost her job while being stalked. Computerized literature searches were used to identify relevant papers from psychiatric and legal journals. RESULTS: This case illustrates many of the common features of stalking. The female victim was harassed by a male after a failed intimate relationship. The victim suffered from depression, anxiety, guilt, shame, helplessness, humiliation, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The stalking affected her psychological, interpersonal, and occupational functioning. Consequently, she was fired for poor work performance and poor attendance. CONCLUSION: stalking may affect a victim's ability to work in several ways. The criminal behaviours often interfere directly with work attendance or productivity and result in the workplace becoming an unsafe location. Further, stalking may indirectly affect a person's ability to work through the many adverse emotional consequences suffered.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = stress disorder (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/6. A mental health program for ground zero rescue and recovery workers: cases and observations.Clinical vignettes from the World Trade Center Worker and Volunteer mental health Monitoring and Treatment Program at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in new york city are presented. The hospital-based program pairs mental health screenings with federally funded occupational medical screenings to identify persons with mental health problems related to their rescue and recovery roles. The program also provides on-site mental health treatment. The cases illustrate the diverse mental health needs of the rescue and recovery workers, some of whom initially sought treatment years after September 11, 2001. The cases show that in addition to symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, workers experienced survivor guilt, distressing memories of childhood trauma, shame associated with intense feelings, substance abuse relapse, psychosis, and problems with family relationships.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = stress disorder (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/6. A distinct pattern of personality disturbance following exposure to mixtures of organic solvents.To assess systematically the pattern of psychologic distress in chemically exposed workers complaining of personality changes, we administered the minnesota Multiphasic personality inventory to 22 men with a history of exposure to mixtures of organic solvents. Results indicated clinically significant profile elevations in more than 90% of the exposed workers. Moreover, a consistent response profile was noted, indicating a high rate of somatic disturbances, anxiety, depression, social isolation, and fear of losing control. In addition, those workers with the longest exposure duration had the highest elevations on the scale measuring disturbances of thinking, social alienation, poor concentration, and anxiety. Comparisons between these subjects and a group of former prisoners of war with posttraumatic stress disorder revealed strikingly similar clinical profiles. We present a case history that illustrates the nature of this psychologic disturbance.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = stress disorder (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/6. Occupation-induced posttraumatic stress disorders.The authors describe a variant of posttraumatic stress disorder that presents as a somatoform disorder. Applying clearly specified diagnostic criteria, they found that seven of 21 patients who were severely disabled by medically unexplained symptoms following occupational exposure to toxic substances had atypical posttraumatic stress disorder, while three patients had typical posttraumatic stress disorder and the remainder suffered from somatoform disorders. Analysis of these cases revealed specific exposure factors and personality characteristics that favor the development of atypical posttraumatic stress disorder. The authors discuss the theoretical, clinical, and therapeutic advantages of this diagnosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 8keywords = stress disorder (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/6. Critical incident stress debriefings for crisis management in post-traumatic stress disorders.Critical incident stress debriefings (CISDs) are a form of crisis management for rescuers such as police officers, fire-fighters and others involved in rescue efforts during natural disasters. This article describes a qualitative evaluation study of one police department's CISD implementation. Participant observation and semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten police officers involved in violent incidents. Results indicated that CISD was perceived as helpful by the officers in alleviating the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder they experienced after the violent incidents.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5keywords = stress disorder (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/6. Post-traumatic stress disorder without the trauma.Examples are reported of PTSD cases showing full symptomatology (intrusive imagery, avoidance behaviour, disordered arousal) in the absence of a single, acute, dramatic trauma of the kind required by the current DSM-III-R definition. Such trauma is thus not a necessary condition for PTSD, and other evidence shows it to be not a sufficient condition. It is suggested that the DSM-III-R axis IV distinction between acute and enduring psychosocial stressors be incorporated into the definition to distinguish two pathways to stress disorder, post-traumatic (PTSD) and prolonged duress (PDSD). Differential treatment implications of the two routes are noted.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5keywords = stress disorder (Clic here for more details about this article) |