TRAUMA-RELATED DISORDERS IN PSYCHIATRISTS AND GENERAL-PRACTITIONERS PRIVATE-PRACTICE IN SWITZERLAND

A questionnaire addressing traumatic stress related issues was mailed to every third psychiatrist in private practice and to every fifth gen eral practitioner in Switzerland (N = 1406, number of returns 517 (37% ). Trauma-related disorders seem to be underdiagnosed. Patients suffer ing from rape, accidents and war related trauma were most often mentio ned. Psychiatrists knew more about specific treatment possibilities th an general practitioners. Only 14% of the responding clinicians were s atisfied with the existing therapeutic services for trauma victims; mo re psychiatrists voiced a need for their improvement. A majority sugge sted interdisciplinarity and the cooperation of institutions and thera pists in private practice for the treatment of trauma-related disorder s. It is proposed that further education should be tailored according to the target professional group.