
Safety 2010 Conference CMS

View / Edit Abstract

Email: *
Surname: *
First Name: *
Job Title: *
Institution: *
Address *	Rua Borges Lagoa, 570 - So Paulo/SP
Post/Zip Code *

Preferred presentation mode *

Oral Poster Workshop

Are you prepared to accept an alternative presentation mode? *

Yes No

Title of paper *

Authors: *

Presenting Author: *

Topic(s): *

Other Topic(s)

Key Words

Abstract Content *

This research discusses the context of PTSD patients daily life and its relation with a society marked by a vast social inequality and violence. The investigation was carried out in the city of So Paulo with victims of urban violence involving a shotgun (either robbery or kidnapping). All participants are PTSD diagnosed patients, treated in a specialized psychiatric outpatient service. The relation between PTSD and urban violence is proved by a high index of PTSD in areas of dense population (Breslau et al. 1992). The research is a qualitative study, based on the anthropology, was performed, including dense ethnographic observation, in-depth semi-structured interviews and the use of photography as a research technique. Eleven interviews with PTSD diagnosed patients (F43.1, ICD-10) were carried out within a period of 6 month. Preliminary results: the ethnographic observation and the interviews reveal violence was not only experienced during the traumatic event which initially caused their disorder. They identify the violence on her/his daily routine and feel more vulnerable coping with the urban violence now than before suffering her/his traumatic event. All patients  reported a frequent and close contact with conflict areas i.e. live or work close to a favela, where generally exists intense drug traffic, an often violent activity which makes many of the PTSD diagnosed feel threatened or uncomfortably. Suffering of intense fear and panic is not purely a symptom of their disorder. They express their disorder more in the sense of victimisation than by the narration of the actual symptoms.

Back No change

View / Edit Abstract

Web favorites