Department of Psychiatry, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2021 Aug;67(5):500-506. doi: 10.1177/0020764020961800. Epub 2020 Sep 26.
Torture has been illegal in most of Europe and the United States for over a century but persisted in other parts of the world. The changing geopolitical landscape has led to its resurgence in recent years. The public rejection of traditional forms of torture that rely on the infliction of physical pain has paradoxically increased the reliance on psychological methods of torture. This critical commentary aims to define and characterize psychological torture (PT) while exploring practical, legal, ethical and therapeutic implications relevant to clinicians and policymakers. Psychological torture comes in a range of forms. It is being increasingly justified and adopted by legitimate authorities in the name of national security. The emphasis on the avoidance of physical pain leads to the assumption that PT does not produce the levels of suffering and harm that are associated with physically violent forms of torture. This same assumption has allowed for the implication of mental health professionals in theorizing and providing legitimacy for the actions of perpetrators. Psychological torture is still poorly defined with limited understanding of its long-term psychiatric impact on those who are subjected to it. The role of mental health professionals in preventing or addressing psychological torture remains ambiguous and needs to be reinforced.
酷刑在大多数欧洲和美国已经有一个多世纪的历史，但在世界其他地区仍在继续存在。不断变化的地缘政治格局导致近年来其死灰复燃。公众对依赖身体疼痛的传统酷刑形式的反对，反而增加了对心理酷刑方法的依赖。这篇批判性评论旨在定义和描述心理酷刑（PT），同时探讨与临床医生和政策制定者相关的实际、法律、伦理和治疗方面的影响。心理酷刑有多种形式。它越来越多地被合法当局以国家安全的名义合理化和采用。对避免身体疼痛的强调导致人们认为 PT 不会产生与身体暴力形式的酷刑相关的痛苦和伤害程度。这种同样的假设使得心理健康专业人员能够在理论化和为施害者的行为提供合法性方面发挥作用。心理酷刑的定义仍然很差，对其对受其影响的人的长期精神影响的理解有限。心理健康专业人员在预防或解决心理酷刑方面的作用仍然模棱两可，需要加强。
