[Psychological assessment of victims]

The so called "psychological impact examination" (PIE) evaluates the potential psychological impact of an attack. It is conducted by highly specialized psychiatrists in medical and legal area. One of the PIE objectives is for the victim to be recognized by the legal system, the recognition includes not only the physical trauma but also and as importantly the psychological trauma. The exact evaluation of the psychological trauma is however challenging mainly because of the difficulty in predicting the long term psychological sequelae. The other objective of the PIE is to inform the victim of the mental health care and legal assistance available.