Frequency of symptoms and concurrent psychiatric disorder in Vietnam veterans with chronic PTSD.
The frequency of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder within each of three categories--reexperiencing, avoidance or numbing, and physiological arousal--was examined in 116 Vietnam combat veterans with a diagnosis of PTSD. The prevalence of all PTSD symptoms was greater than 50 percent except for flashbacks, psychogenic amnesia, and sense of foreshortened future. Comorbidity in a subgroup of 48 patients was assessed using operational criteria for DSM-III-R mental disorders. Mood disorders, psychoactive substance abuse disorders, and other anxiety disorders frequently co-occurred with PTSD, but psychotic disorders were uncommon. These findings provide empirical validation of the DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
Roszell
D K
DK
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Seattle, Washington 98108.
McFall
M E
ME
Malas
K L
KL
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003717:Denial, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*