psychiatric treatment of Holocaust survivors, or, the tribulations of a syndrome

In this chapter the contribution of psychiatry to comprehending the Holocaust by describing and classifying survivors' psychological symptoms and the specific psychopathological consequences is discussed. The Concentration Camp Survivor Syndrone (CCSS) was created to describe this condition. Although the description was vague it was useful. Subsequently, based on the description of CCSS the Post Traumatic Stress Syndrone was recognised and used to describe traumatized psychiatric populations. CCSS was also pivotal in establishing Holocaust survivors' status as victims.