Abstract
Colombia has been seriously affected by an internal armed conflict for more than 40 years affecting mainly the civilian population, who is forced to displace, suffers kidnapping, extortion, threats and assassinations. Between 2005 and 2008, Médecins Sans Frontières-France provided psychological care and treatment in the region of Tolima, a strategic place in the armed conflict. The mental health program was based on a short-term multi-faceted treatment developed according to the psychological and psychosomatic needs of the population. Here we describe the population attending during 2005-2008, in both urban and rural settings, as well as the psychological treatment provided during this period and its outcomes.We observed differences between the urban and rural settings in the traumatic events reported, the clinical expression of the disorders, the disorders diagnosed, and their severity. Although the duration of the treatment was limited due to security reasons and access difficulties, patient condition at last visit improved in most of the patients. These descriptive results suggest that further studies should be conducted to examine the role of short-term psychotherapy, adapted specifically to the context, can be a useful tool to provide psychological care to population affected by an armed conflict.
Highlights
Colombia has been seriously affected by an internal armed conflict for more than 40 years
Civilian populations are the main victims of this conflict, forced to displace, suffering kidnapping, extortion, threats or assassinations
The Médecins Sans Frontières-France (MSFF) mental health program in Tolima was based on a short-term multi-faceted treatment developed according to the psychological and psychosomatic needs of the population
Summary
Colombia has been seriously affected by an internal armed conflict for more than 40 years. We observed differences between the urban and rural settings in the traumatic events reported, the clinical expression of the disorders, the disorders diagnosed, and their severity. The MSFF mental health program in Tolima was based on a short-term multi-faceted treatment developed according to the psychological and psychosomatic needs of the population.
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