Posttraumatic stress disorder part I: historical development of the concept.
OBJECTIVE
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a significant health problem, characterized by high rates of chronicity and comorbidity.


OBJECTIVE
This is the first of three articles examining the sufficiency of the current PTSD construct to articulate the spectrum of human responses to trauma, in particular as it relates to women and interpersonal trauma. This paper reviews the conceptual history of PTSD from the nineteenth century up to its inclusion in the DSM-III (American Psychiatric Association, 1980).


METHODS
Existing bodies of theoretical and research literature related to the effects of trauma.


CONCLUSIONS
Although there is strong evidence that gender plays a role in responses to stress and trauma, gender specificity is not well-incorporated into clinical services or research in the area of PTSD.
Faculty of Nursing, 3rd Floor Clinical Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G3, Canada.
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Lasiuk
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Hegadoren
D047831:American Civil War; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000266:history*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007046:Hysteria / Q000266:history; D008890:Military Psychiatry / Q000266:history*; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000266:history*; D011573:Psychoanalytic Interpretation; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012737:Sex Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000266:history*; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D047828:World War I; D047789:World War II