Extreme trauma in a polluted area: Bonds and relational transformations in an Italian community

Abstract

In the community of Casale Monferrato, exposure to asbestos has been an extremely traumatic event that has caused cancer and death and that has affected a variety of social and environmental aspects of the people and community. When an entire community is severely traumatized, psychoanalytic group therapy seems to be the most suitable therapeutic setting: It allows for the historization of the event and the creation of multiple narratives of somatopsychic suffering, producing a transformative effect on non-mentalized emotional aggregates. Making reference to clinical material, I will show how the possibility of sharing, with other minds, the meaning of the trauma has also brought into the field the vital aspects of each participant, which are possibly not very intense in each individual, but consistently present in the functioning of the mind of the group. I will also illustrate how this led to the development of a new and more mature psychic asset, where painful and deadly experiences connected to the trauma could be faced.

The psychological distress and care needs of mesothelioma patients and asbestos‐exposed subjects: A systematic review of published studies

“…Occupational asbestos exposure has been evaluated in just five out of twelve studies that examined MM patients . Among studies that focused on exposed subjects, occupational exposure modalities have been investigated on a consistent basis, but the characteristics of environmental exposure have only been discussed in three studies . Half of the studies conducted on patients are qualitative in nature.…”

“…Among papers that focus on exposed subjects, eight are quantitative in nature, one is an exposed vs non exposed study, two are nested studies, and five are cross‐sectional studies . Psychological interventions have been analyzed in three studies, and one study focused on exposed subjects . The diverse nature of these studies does not allow diagnosable levels of psychopathology to be identified.…”

“…Some of the qualitative tools used in many of our sample studies include semi‐structured interviews and transcripts from psychotherapy group sessions . The psychological impact of diagnosis, the onset of physical symptoms, the distribution of risk information, lifestyle habits, coping strategies, and occupational context were the most commonly identified constructs.…”

“…Asbestos exposure has been associated with the fear of premature death, causing the development of post‐traumatic stress conditions . The risk of developing asbestos‐related diseases also seems to be associated with high levels of psychological distress and despair and mental health difficulties . Only one study has reported on the absence of significantly different psychological distress levels among exposed and non‐exposed people…”

“…Recent research has focused on the role of occupational context in shaping individual responses to a mesothelioma diagnosis and/or asbestos exposure. Indeed, some studies have found that it is the main factor related to individual psychological distress . The fear of an “aerial contagion” by an “invisible killer” is often related to feelings of anger toward the employer who made it possible …”