An analysis on bmj.com today reports that psychologists and psychiatrists should not be expected to participate in torture. This is due to the fact that they do not have the expertise to assess individual pain or the long-term effects of interrogation.
The investigation is the work of Derrick Silove and Susan Rees, from the University of New South Wales in Australia. They explain that some senior members of the US military have argued that a psychologist’s presence is obligatory to shield the prisoner or detainee from the “severe physical or mental pain or suffering resulting in prolonged mental harm.”
In addition, they comment that a number of leading scientific journals have also published papers by authors who support the presence of mental health professionals as protection for detainees.
However these experts consider that there is no recognized indicator to assess “extreme experiences that cause pain or psychological trauma”. They believe it is impossible for professionals “to make accurate assessments of the level of pain or mental trauma being experienced by the detainee.”
The authors continue by saying that it can be “notoriously difficult” to assess how much distress a detainee is experiencing. In fact, there is indication that “militants who are ideologically prepared may show greater resilience when tortured.”
They argue that according to extensive research, torture causes long-term mental health problems. Still, they say “we do not yet have the scientific knowledge to predict with any precision what the psychological outcome will be for an individual.”
In closing, the authors remark that health professionals have spent years trying to reveal the damaging effects of torture. It would be absurd if they were called upon to use their skills to contribute to the practice of torture.
“Interrogating the role of mental health professionals in assessing torture”
Derrick M Silove, Susan J Rees
BMJ 2010; 340:c124
bmj.com
Written by Stephanie Brunner (B.A.)