Joan Giller - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Joan Giller

British Journal of Psychiatry, Aug 1, 1990

Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, Aug 15, 2016

The Movement for Global Mental Health (MGMH) argues that there is a moral imperative that psychia... more The Movement for Global Mental Health (MGMH) argues that there is a moral imperative that psychiatric treatments should be made available to all communities across the world. But psychiatric theories, categories and interventions emerged in the Western world are based on a set of assumptions about the nature of the self and society, nature and the supernatural, health and healing that are not universally accepted. In this paper we argue that there is a stronger moral case for caution with regard to the export of psychiatric thinking. Without a critical interrogation of such thinking the MGMH is at risk of doing a great deal of harm to the diverse, and sometimes fragile, systems of care that already exist across the world.

JAMA, Aug 4, 1993

... some indication of the scope of the prob¬ lem: 1. In Korea, recent reports estimate that in .... more ... some indication of the scope of the prob¬ lem: 1. In Korea, recent reports estimate that in ... In light of evidence of rape perpetrated on a massive scale, the UN Commission on Human Rights passed a ... related to the rape when they fi¬ nally spoke of it·8 Health care workers are in a ...

Journal of Refugee Studies, 1997

Of late there has been a proliferation of centres and programmes providing mental health care for... more Of late there has been a proliferation of centres and programmes providing mental health care for refugees and victims of violence. This proliferation has mainly occurred in Western countries, but an increasing number of projects have been delivered to Third World war zones in the name of the treatment of 'war trauma'. Western psychology and psychiatry provide the theoretical and therapeutic tools which are used by most of these projects. This paper argues that because these tools are not value neutral, there are profound ethical problems associated with this work. The insights developed by a number of postmodern theorists are used to provide a framework for discussing these problems.

JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 1993

Although widespread, rape of women has been an underreported aspect of military conflict until re... more Although widespread, rape of women has been an underreported aspect of military conflict until recently. The current war in the former Yugoslavia has focused attention on the use of rape as a deliberate strategy to undermine community bonds and weaken resistance to aggression. In addition to providing treatment for individual survivors, the medical community has an important role to play in investigating and documenting incidents of rape. Such documentation can help to establish the magnitude of rape in war and hold perpetrators accountable. Since rape in war affects not only the individual but also the family and community to which the survivor belongs, the restoration of social and community bonds is central to the process of healing and must be addressed within the specific cultural setting.

Journal of Refugee Studies, 1997

... implications. One of the inherent messages involved in such developments is that the sufferin... more ... implications. One of the inherent messages involved in such developments is that the suffering of traumatized refugees is of a 'special nature' and that there is a need for special expertise in caring for such people. This message ...

Medicine, Conflict and Survival, 1996

There is growing international concern that large numbers of children are being recruited to mili... more There is growing international concern that large numbers of children are being recruited to military forces in situations of conflict around the globe, despite the fact that there are principles established in international law specifically directed against the use of children as soldiers. It has ...

Social Science & Medicine, 1995

Because of the prevalence of wars, political violence and other forms of man-made disaster in Thi... more Because of the prevalence of wars, political violence and other forms of man-made disaster in Third World countries many individuals and communities suffer prolonged and often multiple traumas. In Western psychiatry certain conceptions of the response to violence and trauma have been developed, including the widely used category of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We argue that because concepts such as PTSD implicitly endorse a Western ontology and value system, their use in non-Western groups should be, atmost, tentative.

Medicine, Conflict and Survival, 1992

We report on a project to assist victims of war and violence in Uganda. The original aim of this ... more We report on a project to assist victims of war and violence in Uganda. The original aim of this project, set up by the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, was to establish a centre for the assessment and treatment of torture victims who had suffered during previous regimes in that country. We found, however, that a specialist centre was not the most appropriate response in a country like Uganda. We argue for the need to respect local initiatives and systems of support and against the notion that there is a single model of care which is universally relevant. Following much investigation and involvement with local personnel, we have developed a programme of training and discussion for health workers, and a service to reach the many women who have suffered rape, and whose suffering has continued, largely ignored.

British Journal of Psychiatry, Aug 1, 1990

Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, Aug 15, 2016

The Movement for Global Mental Health (MGMH) argues that there is a moral imperative that psychia... more The Movement for Global Mental Health (MGMH) argues that there is a moral imperative that psychiatric treatments should be made available to all communities across the world. But psychiatric theories, categories and interventions emerged in the Western world are based on a set of assumptions about the nature of the self and society, nature and the supernatural, health and healing that are not universally accepted. In this paper we argue that there is a stronger moral case for caution with regard to the export of psychiatric thinking. Without a critical interrogation of such thinking the MGMH is at risk of doing a great deal of harm to the diverse, and sometimes fragile, systems of care that already exist across the world.

JAMA, Aug 4, 1993

... some indication of the scope of the prob¬ lem: 1. In Korea, recent reports estimate that in .... more ... some indication of the scope of the prob¬ lem: 1. In Korea, recent reports estimate that in ... In light of evidence of rape perpetrated on a massive scale, the UN Commission on Human Rights passed a ... related to the rape when they fi¬ nally spoke of it·8 Health care workers are in a ...

Journal of Refugee Studies, 1997

Of late there has been a proliferation of centres and programmes providing mental health care for... more Of late there has been a proliferation of centres and programmes providing mental health care for refugees and victims of violence. This proliferation has mainly occurred in Western countries, but an increasing number of projects have been delivered to Third World war zones in the name of the treatment of 'war trauma'. Western psychology and psychiatry provide the theoretical and therapeutic tools which are used by most of these projects. This paper argues that because these tools are not value neutral, there are profound ethical problems associated with this work. The insights developed by a number of postmodern theorists are used to provide a framework for discussing these problems.

JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 1993

Although widespread, rape of women has been an underreported aspect of military conflict until re... more Although widespread, rape of women has been an underreported aspect of military conflict until recently. The current war in the former Yugoslavia has focused attention on the use of rape as a deliberate strategy to undermine community bonds and weaken resistance to aggression. In addition to providing treatment for individual survivors, the medical community has an important role to play in investigating and documenting incidents of rape. Such documentation can help to establish the magnitude of rape in war and hold perpetrators accountable. Since rape in war affects not only the individual but also the family and community to which the survivor belongs, the restoration of social and community bonds is central to the process of healing and must be addressed within the specific cultural setting.

Journal of Refugee Studies, 1997

... implications. One of the inherent messages involved in such developments is that the sufferin... more ... implications. One of the inherent messages involved in such developments is that the suffering of traumatized refugees is of a 'special nature' and that there is a need for special expertise in caring for such people. This message ...

Medicine, Conflict and Survival, 1996

There is growing international concern that large numbers of children are being recruited to mili... more There is growing international concern that large numbers of children are being recruited to military forces in situations of conflict around the globe, despite the fact that there are principles established in international law specifically directed against the use of children as soldiers. It has ...

Social Science & Medicine, 1995

Because of the prevalence of wars, political violence and other forms of man-made disaster in Thi... more Because of the prevalence of wars, political violence and other forms of man-made disaster in Third World countries many individuals and communities suffer prolonged and often multiple traumas. In Western psychiatry certain conceptions of the response to violence and trauma have been developed, including the widely used category of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We argue that because concepts such as PTSD implicitly endorse a Western ontology and value system, their use in non-Western groups should be, atmost, tentative.

Medicine, Conflict and Survival, 1992

We report on a project to assist victims of war and violence in Uganda. The original aim of this ... more We report on a project to assist victims of war and violence in Uganda. The original aim of this project, set up by the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, was to establish a centre for the assessment and treatment of torture victims who had suffered during previous regimes in that country. We found, however, that a specialist centre was not the most appropriate response in a country like Uganda. We argue for the need to respect local initiatives and systems of support and against the notion that there is a single model of care which is universally relevant. Following much investigation and involvement with local personnel, we have developed a programme of training and discussion for health workers, and a service to reach the many women who have suffered rape, and whose suffering has continued, largely ignored.