Torture and Its Consequences: Current Treatment Approaches.

I approached this book with some trepidation. There is a narrow line between necessary information and unnecessary stress to the health professionals who read into this subject (also, for the post-traumatic symptoms there is a certain fear of prurient voyeurism, soon dispelled with direct experience). But this is a major and serious text, relevant not only to those (now many of us) who encounter refugees from torture but also to all health care workers who must recognise the needs of victims of major incidents or traumatic bereavements, be they through mass catastrophies or personal crises.

This almost comprehensive text is divided into seven sections, covering the …