In 1866, Erichsen (1) described a syndrome consisting of
cognitive impairments and psychosomatic symptoms that occurred
in survivors of railway accidents. Erichsen’s "railway spine"
can be regarded as one of the roots of modern
psychotraumatology. Despite this, the psychosocial effects of
accidental injuries have not yet been studied thoroughly, so
epidemiological data are still inconsistent. This might be
because some accidents, traffic accidents in particular, are
viewed by society as such routine occurrences that they are no
longer considered to be "an event that is outside the range of
usual human experience" (DSM-III-R). However, an epidemiological
study on the frequency and psychological impact of 10
potentially traumatic events (2) found motor vehicle accidents
to present the most adverse combination of frequency and impact.
During the first few hours and days following an accidental
injury, most patients have at least short periods in which they
feel anxious or worried; dissociative symptoms such as d