Mental health disturbances due to absence of truth and justice

Within the context of seventeen years of military dictatorship and eleven years of impunity in a Latin American country - Chile - our purpose is to reflect over the meaning and value of Truth and Justice concepts, reflection that comes from a concrete experience in medical, psychiatric, social and legal attention to people, families and communities.

The method used is based upon a model of mental health and human rights; this will show psychopathology disturbances produced, as a result of the crimes, impunity and reparation intents. First it will analyse mechanisms or actions used in the production of crimes against humanity, some of these are violence, torture, executions, disappearances, etc., pointing out medical, psychological and social consequences that has produced. Then, it will define the impunity concept based upon the human rights norm, a synthesis will be done of the psychopathology disturbances produced by the absence of integral truth and the lack of justice within people's inwardness, as well as its social fabric.

Over this issue, we will discuss briefly the creation of Extrajudicial Commissions of Truth and Justice in post war periods, post dictatorships and what had it mean for the victims.

Following this and based upon the indicated norms by the Special Rapporteur on Reparations for Victims of Gross Violations of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of the United Nations, we will indicate the consequences that this has over the mental health and human rights camp, the dissociation within theory and reality in order to achieve Reconciliation, Collective Memory and shared Truth.

Finally, we want to draw attention over the obstructions to arrive to a "Never Again", or in medical terms for the definite prevention on the existence of interhuman violence, in case these persists or gets hidden will hamper a complete Reconciliation.

Paz Rojas Baeza is a doctor of neuropsychiatry, Team Coordinator for the Denunciation, Research and Treatment of the tortured and its family unit, (DIT-T), which belongs to the Corporation for the Promotion and Defence of People's Rights (CODEPU); and an adviser to the Society for the Prevention against Torture (APT), Switzerland. Since 1973, from the Coup d'Etat in Chile to the pre-sent day, she has dedicated herself to care for people, families and small collectives that have been damaged by state violence. She has numerous publications, both nationally and internationally.