Abstract
France has been subjected to terrorism for the past 15 years. Several epidemiological studies have pointed to the high prevalence and severity of PTSD symptoms among the victims. Terrorism-related injuries and time elapsed since the trauma were associated with a negative prognosis. Since 1997, these findings led to the development of a medico-psychological intervention network accompanying the traditional emergency medical team, and giving pre-hospital psychological emergency care to provide secondary prevention. Specialized hospital-based psychiatric services were developed to complement this front-line network, offering an innovative system of care. Studies are needed to examine the effectiveness of this system in reducing trauma-related disorders.