Publikation

In the past year, sixty-two percent of Cambodians living in the United States have suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and fifty-one percent have suffered from depression, seventeen times that of the US national average of adults.  Regarding the prevalence of PTSD within Cambodia, serious research does not exist until now.  Although we have to discriminate between local Cambodians and those living overseas, perceptions of psychiatrists and psychologists are that local Cambodians also face a high prevalence of these psychosocial diseases.  It is now obvious that many Cambodians today are suffering in their hearts from their previous traumatic experiences.   

The main purpose of this Handbook is to provide an introduction to and basic knowledge of a complex psychological issue in an understandable way. Because the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, informally the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, is finally getting underway; many non-governmental organizations and many Cambodians are becoming more engaged in the process of  national reconciliation and development, and therefore have to deal with many traumatized people. Reconciliation between individuals, regions within the nation, and between victims and perpetrators in Cambodian villages are among the main issues being tackled by many NGO outreach projects.

Because ot the size of the pdf file, the publication is divided into 8 parts.