title: Enduring Personality Changes after Intense Stressful Event: Case Report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  World statistical data show that a large number of individuals suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after exposure to the intense traumatic event. PTSD can have a chronic course with enduring changes in the functioning of the person.
  
  
  METHODS
  Here we report two adult individuals of different gender and education who were exposed to the extremely severe stressful event after which difficulties in psychological functioning developed. The first case we present is a 46-year-old man, with completed high education, divorced, father of two children, who lives with his parents, and is retired. Disorders appeared 20 years ago when he was exposed to extremely severe stressful events in war circumstances that included captivity, torture, and loss of fellow soldiers. The second case is a 50-year-old female patient, with a university degree, professor of art, married, and mother of two children of whom the son died six years ago. She suffered from disorders after the sudden injury of her son that ended with his death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Posttraumatic stress disorder after the intense stress is a risk of development enduring personality changes with serious individual and social consequences.
authors.affiliation: University Psychiatry Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Ss Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.
authors.forename: Slavica
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arsova
authors.affiliation: University Psychiatry Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Ss Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.
authors.forename: Nensi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Manusheva
authors.affiliation: University Clinic for Ear, Nose and Throat, Faculty of Medicine, Ss Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, Vodnjanska 17, Skopje 1109, Republic of Macedonia.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kopacheva-Barsova
authors.affiliation: University Psychiatry Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Ss Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.
authors.forename: Stojan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bajraktarov
keywords: Republic of Macedonia; SSRI anti-depressive; anti-psychotic; case report; enduring personality changes; posttraumatic stress disorder; psycho stabilising therapy