Goran Arbanas1. 1. Day Hospital for Psychotherapy, General Hospital Karlovac, Andrije Stampara 3b, 47000 Karlovac, Croatia. goran.arbanas@ka.t-com.hr
Abstract
AIM: To establish how many patients diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 1996 used psychiatric facilities and had psychiatric symptoms 10 years later, and assess their sociodemographic characteristics, comorbid disorders, and type of treatment. METHODS: Medical records of patients diagnosed with PTSD in 1996 were reviewed in the period 2007-2009 and the patients who contacted a psychiatrist in that period (n=85) and those who did not (n=158) were compared. RESULTS: There were 36.7% of men and 20% of women diagnosed with PTSD in 1996 who contacted a psychiatrist in the period 2007-2009. Patients who contacted a psychiatrist and those who did not did not differ in sex, age, the number of visits and hospitalizations in 1996, and employment status. The majority of patients still had PTSD and/or were enduring personality change in the period 2007-2009, and 54.8% had some comorbidity (mostly depression, alcohol-related disorders, and personality disorders). Patients were most often treated with anxiolytics and antidepressants. CONCLUSION: Ten years after the traumatic experience, one third of patients with PTSD received psychiatric help, regardless of their sex, age, and employment status. Half of them had comorbid disorders and the majority of them were treated with anxiolytics and antidepressants.
AIM: To establish how many patients diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 1996 used psychiatric facilities and had psychiatric symptoms 10 years later, and assess their sociodemographic characteristics, comorbid disorders, and type of treatment. METHODS: Medical records of patients diagnosed with PTSD in 1996 were reviewed in the period 2007-2009 and the patients who contacted a psychiatrist in that period (n=85) and those who did not (n=158) were compared. RESULTS: There were 36.7% of men and 20% of women diagnosed with PTSD in 1996 who contacted a psychiatrist in the period 2007-2009. Patients who contacted a psychiatrist and those who did not did not differ in sex, age, the number of visits and hospitalizations in 1996, and employment status. The majority of patients still had PTSD and/or were enduring personality change in the period 2007-2009, and 54.8% had some comorbidity (mostly depression, alcohol-related disorders, and personality disorders). Patients were most often treated with anxiolytics and antidepressants. CONCLUSION: Ten years after the traumatic experience, one third of patients with PTSD received psychiatric help, regardless of their sex, age, and employment status. Half of them had comorbid disorders and the majority of them were treated with anxiolytics and antidepressants.
Authors: Charles W Hoge; Carl A Castro; Stephen C Messer; Dennis McGurk; Dave I Cotting; Robert L Koffman Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 2004-07-01 Impact factor: 91.245
Authors: Stefan Priebe; Marija Bogic; Dean Ajdukovic; Tanja Franciskovic; Gian Maria Galeazzi; Abdulah Kucukalic; Dusica Lecic-Tosevski; Nexhmedin Morina; Mihajlo Popovski; Duolao Wang; Matthias Schützwohl Journal: Arch Gen Psychiatry Date: 2010-05