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Susanna L. Cunningham PhD., R.N., FAAN Principal Investigator University of Washington Department of Biobehavioral Nursing Box: 357266 Seattle, Washington 98195 PHONE: (206) 616-1963 FAX: (206) 543-4771 susannac@ u.washington.edu
Trez Buckland, M.Ed. |
Articles
Washington, D.C. - People who suffer psychological reactions to a traumatic
event but do not have full-blown post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
still have clinically significant symptomatology and impairment, according
to a study published in the
September 2001 American Journal of Psychiatry, the
monthly scientific journal of the American Psychiatric Association.
PTSD is an anxiety disorder in which exposure to a traumatic mental or
physical event is followed by persistent reexperiencing of the event.
Symptoms can include recurrent and distressing recollections of the event,
efforts to avoid feelings and reminders
associated with the trauma, and severe anxiety.
The study, led by Randall Marshall, M.D., of New York State Psychiatric
Institute and Columbia University, suggests that the number of people
in the U.S. who are significantly impaired by traumatic events may be
much greater than previously realized, since most estimates are based
only on those who meet full criteria for PTSD. Subthreshold PTSD was defined
as a subject having some but not all of the symptoms of PTSD, according
to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition).
=
The study also found that the presence of other disorders (comorbidity) is common in subthreshold PTSD and is an important factor in understanding the impairment caused by partial PTSD. The presence of PTSD symptoms in these subjects significantly raised the risk of suicidal thoughts, according to the authors. More than three times as many individuals with full PTSD reported current suicidal ideation than people who did not have PTSD symptoms.
It is estimated that ten percent of the American population has suffered
from PTSD at some point in their lives, according to the American
Psychiatric Association. Fortunately, treatment is available in the form
of
psychotherapy, peer counseling and medication.
[=93Comorbidity, Impairment, and Suicidality in
Subthreshold PTSD,=94 by Randall D.
Marshall, M.D., et al, p. 1467, American Journal of
Psychiatry, September 2001.]
The American Psychiatric Association is a national medical specialty society,
founded in 1844, whose 38,000 physician members specialize in
the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illnesses and substance
use disorders.
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