ABSTRACT
Road accidents are common, and a major cause of death, injury and permanent physical disability. It is less well recognised that a significant proportion of road crash survivors develop serious, disabling psychiatric problems. This chapter reviews the published literature on the prevention of post-accident psychopathology, and reports two recent studies of the efficacy of early psychological interventions in reducing the incidence and severity of psychiatric complications following road accidents. The findings of the London study did suggest a trend towards more rapid resolution of symptoms in the intervention group. However, the results of the Oxford study showed a trend towards symptom deterioration in the intervention group. The aim of any preventive psychological intervention is to assist the survivor in coming to terms with the traumatic experience and prevent the development of psychiatric illness. This is achieved through promotion of emotional and cognitive processing, encouraging healthy coping strategies and the resumption of normal activities.
