Abstract
This chapter summarizes the available data about the psychiatric impact of motor vehicle accidents (MVAs), and examines the aetiology of these effects. It discusses the studies of debriefing interventions designed to prevent the adverse effects. The chapter explores the question about how these may be limited or treated. The psychiatric consequences of MVAs are in many ways similar to those described for acute illnesses and events but, a small proportion of victims suffer cognitive and other disorders due to head injury and brain damage and many suffer from post-traumatic syndromes. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is very frequent following MVAs. Psychological debriefing has been conceptualized as an intervention that promotes adaptive adjustment to traumatic events, in part through facilitating emotional and cognitive processing of the experience. The evidence cited here suggests that psychological debriefing for individuals after road accidents does not reduce later psychiatric problems, particularly specific post-traumatic symptoms.
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