TRC’s staff has been involved in a variety of published
and unpublished research on mental health in the occupied territories. The
various articles and papers are listed below, with a brief description of their
subject matter. Full-length copies can be supplied to interested individuals,
through a request via e-mail (info@trc-pal.org).
1. (2004) Recognition of Rights is the first step to
real, lasting peace. By Dr. M.
Sehwail. A paper reviewing the most
recent Israeli oppression of Palestinians.
The paper also highlights how the Israeli violence has affected
Palestinians psychologically, socially and economically.
Published in Jan. 2004 in the Palestinian Israeli Journal.
2. (2003) Mental
Health Screening II. The second
step of ‘Mental Health Screening I’ was implemented by TRC’s professional
staff and supervised by Dr. M. Sehwail and Khader Rasras. The project began in August 2003 and the compiling of data
was completed by December 2003. Mental
Health Screening in the West Bank covered the entire West Bank where 800
Palestinian subjects participated in the study sample.
The selection of participants was based on a random stratified and
systematic procedure. Male and
female adults above the age of 18, one per family, were involved.
The study measured levels of mental health in the West Bank using PTSDI
(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Inventory) developed and standardized by TRC’s
mental health professionals and the SCL 90, an international checklist which was
modified to be more applicable to the Palestinian society.
3.
(2002). Bereavement Responses Among Palestinian Widows, Daughters and
Sons following the Hebron Massacre. By Dr. A. Al-Krenawi, Dr. J.R.
Graham and Dr. M. Sehwail. OMEGA 44(3), 241-255.
In February 1994, an Israeli settler shot Muslim
worshippers at the Ibrahime Mosque in Hebron, West Bank. Fifty-three people were
killed, and 200 injured. The Derogatis Symptom Checklist-Revised (SCL-90-R), a
90-item self-administered discomfort scale was administered to all surviving
widows (n=23), daughters (n=12), and sons (n=26). Statistically significant
different results occurred in 3 of 9 subscales. Widows scored higher
somatization than the daughters, who scored higher than the sons. Daughters
scored higher phobia than the widows, who scored higher than the sons.
Culturally and religiously proscribed gender and familial roles appear to
contribute to the different bereavement response patterns. No respondents sought
professional mental health counseling.
4. (2001) Mental
Health Screening I. A large
scale research project done in the Ramallah District prepared by Dr. Mahmud
Sehwail and Khader Rasras.
5. (2001). Complicated Grief Reaction. Dr. M.
Sehwail. Paper presented at the World Health Organization meeting in Athens,
Greece, 8 - 10 June 2001.
This paper presents the findings of a TRC study carried out
with 37 members of recently bereaved families (all had lost a loved one to the
violence of the second Palestinian Uprising). The subjects' grief reactions to
sudden and violent death are described and discussed.
6. (2000). Prevention and Treatment of Depression. A
summary and statistics of results obtained during a series of workshops which
concentrated on training three General Practitioner in Primary Health Care on
prevention and treatment of depression.GPs collected and documented data during
2-four week periods (Feb.1999 and Feb. 2000).
7. (2000) Primary
Health Care in the West Bank, by Dr. M. Sehwail. Paper presented at the
Prevention and Treatment of Depression meeting held in Cairo, Egypt.
This paper provides an overview of all primary health care
services in the West Bank, as well as a survey of the prevalence rate of
depression cases in the primary health care services.
8. (2000). Group
Therapy for Victims of Torture and Organized Violence (trial II). Dr. M.
Sehwail, Mr. Khader Rasras. Paper presented at the 4th International Congress
for Group Therapy, Jerusalem, 20-25 August, 2000.
In 1999, TRC began group therapy (cognitive-behavior
therapy) with seven survivors of torture and organized violence. This paper
details the clinicians' observations of the success and effectiveness of this
therapy approach with this population.
9. (1999) Treatment
Complications of 'Continuing Traumatic Stress Disorder': An Individual
Psychotherapeutic Approach for Victims of Torture. Dr. M. Sehwail. Paper
presented at the VIII International Symposium on Torture, 22 - 25th September
1999, New Delhi, India. This paper is based on Dr. M. Sehwail's professional
experiences and observations of torture survivors receiving TRC's services. A
series of case studies are presented.
10. (1999). Treatment
and Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture. Dr. M. Sehwail. Israel-Palestine
Journal, VI(1), 49-52. This paper is an overview of the special considerations
to be taken when providing psychosocial assistance to torture survivors in the
occupied territories.
11. (1999) The
Expected Role of Physicians in Promoting Health and Preventing Human Rights
Abuses. Paper presented by Dr. M. Sehwail at the Health and Human Rights
Seminar held in Ramallah on November 26, 1999. In this paper, Dr. M. Sehwail
provides an overview of his experiences gleaned from visiting and treating
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
