Post-traumatic stress disorder is nowadays widely known (usually by its acronym PTSD), although it is also widely misunderstood, as is often the case with matters which attract considerable media interest. Hence, facts and fantasies are often mixed in accounts and reports of PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder is not a new problem, but one which has long been acknowledged, particularly in military contexts, at least by commanders and others with ‘eyes to see’ and ‘ears to hear’.

Stephen O'Brien has military and civilian experience which, allied to academic discipline and a capacity for lucid writing, make this book an authoritative account of PTSD. Useful details are given of the history of this disorder and its relationship to other post-traumatic states is discussed. Clinical manifestations and treatment approaches are also dealt with, completing a text suitable for all who seek a balanced and authoritative view of this most important and potentially very disabling condition.