Normal and pathological reactions to severe stress: their features and management

It is unethical and incompetent to deny the scale and nature of human reactions to trauma. Those who provide care for victims of trauma should be familiar with normal and pathological reactions following trauma and know how to identify those at high risk of developing adverse reactions and problems of adjustment. Methods of treating and preventing post-traumatic conditions have not been evaluated with sufficient rigour. There are, however, some guiding principles to ensure a rational approach to the management of victims of trauma.