Animated film nominated for top television award

An innovative animated film created by NHS Lanarkshire which the police use to train their officers to gather more evidence on sexual offence crimes has been nominated for a Royal Television Society award.

The short film‘Trauma and the Brain’was created by NHS Lanarkshire’s Ending Violence Abuse (EVA) Services.

It has been chosen as one of the top three animations made in Scotland last year.

The film explains the physiological and psychological impact abuse or violent assault can have on a person and how it can result in them having difficulty recalling information.

For those attempting to gather evidence, this can present challenges, and in worse case scenarios, can see victims perceived as unreliable.

However the film explains how to recognise trauma and help the victim recover to a point where they are able to give police more information.

Ann Hayne, NHS Lanarkshire gender-based violence manager, said:“Since we launched this film around a year ago, we’ve had terrific feedback from around the world – Finland, Canada, USA, Australia – and organisations such as Police Scotland which has decided to use it for information and training.

“For it to also be nominated for such a prestigious award is fantastic news.”

The film explains how when people go about our daily business, they can collect, store and recall information easily.

However, when something traumatic happens, an older, less developed part of the brain takes priority focussing on survival.

It’s only when the brain senses that danger has passed, will the newer, more analytical parts of the brain resume full function and enable the person to piece together more information.

Ann continued:“Experiencing abuse or other types of trauma can lead to post traumatic stress disorder with symptoms that last more than a month.

“This short film highlights some things to look out for and understand better how they might cause difficulties for the person trying to make sense of what has happened.”

To view the film, visit: https://vimeo. com/user29908221/ trauma-and-the-brain

For more information, or to request the film on DVD disc, contact EVAServices@lanarkshire.scot.nhs. uk