Comparison of Memory Function and MMPI-2 Profile between Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Adjustment Disorder after a Traffic Accident.
OBJECTIVE
Differential diagnosis between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and adjustment disorder (AD) is rather difficult, but very important to the assignment of appropriate treatment and prognosis. This study investigated methods to differentiate PTSD and AD.


METHODS
Twenty-five people with PTSD and 24 people with AD were recruited. Memory tests, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2), and Beck's Depression Inventory were administered.


RESULTS
There were significant decreases in immediate verbal recall and delayed verbal recognition in the participants with PTSD. The reduced memory functions of participants with PTSD were significantly influenced by depressive symptoms. Hypochondriasis, hysteria, psychopathic deviate, paranoia, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder scale of MMPI-2 classified significantly PTSD and AD group.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that verbal memory assessments and the MMPI-2 could be useful for discriminating between PTSD and AD.
Department of Psychiatry, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
Sung-Man
SM
Bae
Department of Psychology, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.
Myoung-Ho
MH
Hyun
Department of Psychiatry, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Korea. ; Clinical Emotion and Cognition Research Laboratory, Goyang, Korea.
Seung-Hwan
SH
Lee
Adjustment disorders; Diagnosis, Differential; MMPI-2; Memory deficits; Post-traumatic stress disorders