WAR TRAUMA [Main Title]

Log in to create clips, download free screeners and save clips/films in Collections. Click here to find out more.


  • Title: WAR TRAUMA [Main Title]
  • Film Number: UNT 518
  • Other titles: UNITED NATIONS TELEVISION (UNTV) ZAGREB COLLECTION, YUGOSLAVIA [Allocated Series Title]
  • Summary: Ex-soldiers and refugees are treated for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Rijeka Clinical Hospital. Doctors discuss how they help patients cope with the horrors of war.
  • Description: Internal shots of the hospital and nursing staff. Interview with Dr. Frančišković, Head of the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD) Unit at Rijeka Clinical Hospital. She says that many of the patients have come from the frontline at Vukovar or they have served as volunteers on the Lika frontline. They also treat people who have become refugees. These patients suffer from flashbacks, anxiety and depression. Interview with patient Damir Kos, who says that he suffers from insomnia and feelings of bloodthirstiness and hatred. Interview with another patient, who does not wish to be identified. He says that he feels very insecure and wants to be alone and avoids his family. Shots of a therapy session in progress. This patient was a soldier at Vukovar and then a prisoner of war for six months in Serbia. He answers the therapist’s questions about his dead son and his wife. He talks of digging the graves of those killed at Vukovar. They dug them wherever there was soft earth, in gardens or on the roadside. Two pieces of wood were fixed together to make a cross and after a short prayer, they moved on. Interview with Dr. Moro, Head of the Clinical Unit, who explains that patients need to talk through the details of traumatic events in order to overcome them. The patients explain their sense of isolation, of being distanced from normal life because of what they have seen and done. Dr. Moro makes it clear that the Clinical Unit cannot cure them of their memories, what it hopes to do instead is to "heal the scar so that it will not bleed". The staff meet every morning to discuss how they feel about hearing the details of their patients’ history. One member of staff describes the risk of secondary traumatisation and the necessity of working as a team to share the burden. The World Health Organisation has organised a symposium to share specialist knowledge with local healthcare workers. They agree that doctors will have to develop new methods to help patients suffering from PTSD. Footage of Dr Lira, ILAS Institue of Santiago, Chile, who says they need to validate post traumatic stress disorder and treatments for it. Dr Becker, of the same Institute, says that these treatments must be developed to suit specific situations.
  • Alternative Title: UNITED NATIONS TELEVISION (UNTV) ZAGREB COLLECTION, YUGOSLAVIA [Allocated Series Title]
  • Colour: Colour
  • Digitised:
  • Object_Number: UNT 518
  • Sound: Sound
  • Access Conditions:
  • Featured Period: 1990-2000
  • Production Date: 1994-12 1994-12-28
  • Production Country: UN
  • Production Details: Bushill, Christian (Production individual) Bobanović, Željko (Production individual) Sikirica, Vanja (Production individual) Currie, Mary (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:
  • Keywords:
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: Colour Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: English (Tape Code A) Title language: Bosnian (Tape Code B) Subtitle language: Croatian (Tape Code C)
  • Technical Details: Format: Beta-SP Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Running time: 8 mins 55 secs
  • HD Media:
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    UNT 518

  • Related IWM Collections Objects:

    UNT 709 (UNTV PROGRAMME NO 44 [Main Title]) UNT 717 (UNTV PROGRAMME NO 93 [Main Title]) UNT 518 X (WAR TRAUMA (UNEDITED RUSHES) [Allocated Title])
Register