MSc in War and Psychiatry
(one year full-time or two years part-time)
The psychological effects of war and terrorism are highly topical and a source of intense media interest. They are also a legitimate subject for serious study. Yet there are no simple solutions and the dilemmas faced by clinicians and planners are as testing and relevant today as they were in the past.
This masters explores the psychological impact of war in its broadest sense. Taking a comparative perspective, it draws cultural comparisons between the British experience and other nations with a recent history of conflict.
Key themes include:
- The expression and nature of post-combat disorders (such as shell shock, the effects of Agent Orange, Gulf War syndrome or mild Traumatic Brain Injury) from the Crimean War to today.
- A critical examination of treatments for post-trauma injuries, including ‘forward psychiatry’, to assess their effectiveness and outcomes.
- The recent phenomenon of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): either an organic phenomenon that has always existed or a culturally-conditioned expression of distress.
- The impact of war and terrorism on civilians; is the public inherently resilient or psychologically vulnerable?
- Screening for vulnerability to psychological disorders (attempts to identify soldiers who are likely to breakdown in combat).
- Veterans’ pressure groups and the issue of financial compensation for war-related psychiatric injury.
- The psychological effects of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
- Combat motivation, morale and breakdown in battle.
- Law and the ethics of military psychiatry.
- The literary perspective: the impact of culture on post-combat disorders.
The course is designed for all professionals of whatever background who have a special interest in military psychiatry or civilians subjected to psychological trauma.
Further details about the course is available from:
Professor Edgar Jones
King’s Centre for Military Health Research,
Institute of Psychiatry, Weston Education Centre,
10 Cutcombe Road, London SE5 9RJ.
E-mail:
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