PART D – Psychological consequences of torture on individuals 23 PART D PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF TORTURE ON INDIVIDUALS General considerations for the psychological evaluation • Psychological evaluation and interpretation should always be made with an awareness of the cultural, political and social context as well as the conditions of the interview and assessment (Istanbul Protocol, § 262) • It is important to recognize that not everyone who has been tortured de- velops a diagnosable mental illness. However many victims experience profound emotional reactions and psychological symptoms (Istanbul Protocol, § 236) • A diagnosis of a trauma-related mental disorder supports the claim of torture, but not meeting criteria for a diagnosis does not mean that the person was not tortured (Istanbul Protocol, § 289). I. FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO TORTURE “It is a widely held view that torture is an extraordinary life experience capable of causing a wide range of physical and psychological suffering. Most clinicians and researchers agree that the extreme nature of the torture event is powerful enough on its own to produce mental and emotional consequences, regardless of the individual’s pre-torture psychological status[…]” (Istanbul Protocol, § 234). The type, duration and severity of psychological responses to trauma are affected by multiple factors which interact with each other. There is a complex relationship between trauma and symptomatology (McFarlane, 1995). The multi-determined nature of torture symptoms requires a profound and multidimensional assessment (Kira, 2002). Although the factors influencing the psy-