Posttraumatic stress disorder

Abstract

PTSD is a severe and chronic psychiatric condition. Because of the complex symptoms, no single treatment is effective. Pharmacologic treatment is an integral component of a multidisciplinary approach that addresses the psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of PTSD. Psychopharmacologic agents provide symptomatic relief and are beneficial in managing other comorbid psychiatric conditions. Primary care physicians can base treatment decisions on the patient's prevailing symptoms. Specialized psychiatric consultation may be needed in difficult and complicated cases.

The Occurrence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Patients Following Intensive Care Treatment: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Random Sample

“…Persons suffering from PTSD show high pretraumatic comorbidity with major depression (20%), addiction to alcohol (75%), and personality disorders (20%). Other illnesses also often found are panic disorders, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorders, social phobias, and bipolar disorders [4]. There is a further increased comorbidity risk with compulsion disorders, social phobia, and tendencies toward somatization disorders, consumption of psychotropic substances, and dissociative disorders [22].…”

“…The prognosis for PTSD is generally considered good if the symptoms start within the first 6 months after trauma exposure and the patient has been psychically stable up until then and has been well integrated in his or her social environment [4]. Some studies, in accord with the new DSM-IV definition expanding the scope of trauma to include "life-threatening disease," describe the occurrence of PTSD after severe diseases, such as carcinoma [5].…”