Posttraumatic stress symptoms following near-death experiences.
Persons who report "near-death experiences" (NDEs) acknowledge more intrusive symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than those who came close to death without NDEs, but not more avoidance symptoms, suggesting a nonspecific stress response. Although dissociation generally increases vulnerability to PTSD, the positive affect that distinguishes NDEs from other dissociative experiences may mitigate subsequent PTSD symptoms.
Greyson
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Department of Psychiatric Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville 22908-0152, USA. cbg4d@virginia.edu
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003643:Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires