Predictability of the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) in Post Immediate in Psychotraumatic Impact

A functional unit of Urgent Medical Aid Service (SAMU), Medical-psychological emergency cell (CUMP) is an emergency medical device and provides immediate and post-immediate medico-psychological care for mentally injured people in psychotraumatic situations. CUMP also ensures immediate post follow-up of these patients, as well as departmental organization of psychotrauma consultation.

During the course of the treatment, victims are oriented, with a telephone callback which can be decided, allowing a remote reassessment of any psychotraumatic sequelae of the event. This phone reminder is part of routine practice following a CUMP intervention. The objective is then early detection of sequelae allowing rapid orientation on specific care pathways, in particular on the consultation of psychotrauma.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a syndromic entity reactive to experience of a traumatogenic event (defined by the brutal, sudden and unexpected confrontation with death, or the loss of physical or psychological integrity), bringing together intrusive symptoms of reliving, behavioral avoidance of stimuli related to the traumatic event, persistent negative alterations in cognitions and mood, and neurovegetative hyperactivity, causing clinically significant distress and impaired the usual functioning of the subject.

Experiencing a psychotraumatic event in one's life is a frequent experience. Epidemiological data show a lifetime prevalence of around 30%. During and/or in the hours following a psychotraumatic event, people experience psychological, physiological and emotional upheavals called peritraumatic distress. Although most people recover on their own, a portion (8.3%) develop post-traumatic stress disorder.

However, one of the main characteristics of post-traumatic stress disorder is the presence of avoidance symptoms. Avoidance can take different forms such as non-confrontation with all the evocative clues of the traumatic event such as places, people and situations related to the traumatic event, but also the avoidance of thoughts, memories, conversations related to the traumatic event. This avoidance of thoughts and conversations can be a barrier to entry into trauma-focused psychotherapy. Indeed, talking about the traumatic event goes against this avoidance. A proactive approach at a distance from the event to re-evaluate the symptomatology of the people involved and thus propose an orientation towards specialized care in the field of psychotrauma in order to counter avoidance would seem entirely relevant.