Post-traumatic stress disorder in hostages and victims of torture.

Torture and the taking of hostages for ransom or for political gain have existed since recorded history. Both can produce archetype post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Many symptoms, as in the case of those brought on by the Holocaust, can last a lifetime. Torture, although universally condemned, still is used regularly in more than 60 countries, and the stream of refugees to safe havens seems endless. Treatment is effective, specific, and essential but requires extraordinary sensitivity, experience, and patience on the part of therapists. Hostage-taking generates its own unique dynamics on the victims, which again requires experience, understanding, and very specialized knowledge by therapists if they are to provide successful help to these profoundly damaged individuals. PTSD brought on by both torture and hostage taking has been studied extensively in recent years and its similarities and differences from "typical" PTSD are detailed.