Assessing long-term effects of trauma: diagnosing symptoms of avoidance and numbing

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

This study compared the discovery of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) with a semistructured, psychodynamic clinical interview in a long-term follow-up of the survivors of the Buffalo Creek (W.Va.) flood.

METHOD:

Videotaped semistructured, psychodynamic clinical interviews of a small group of survivors (N=6) were compared with the results obtained in a prior group-level SCID investigation.

RESULTS:

Acute stress response and posttraumatic stress disorder in traffic accident victims: a one-year prospective, follow-up study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

This study was designed to assess the natural course of posttraumatic symptoms formation, as well as the degree to which acute stress reactions predict later posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in injured traffic accident victims.

METHOD:

Assessment of characteristics of intrusive thoughts and their impact on distress among victims of traumatic events

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

This study examines the psychometric properties of the Intrusive Thoughts Questionnaire (ITQ) and its utility as a predictor of distress among trauma victims.

METHOD:

Victims of three types of trauma, a motor vehicle accident (N = 115), a hurricane (N = 182), and recovery work after an airline disaster (N = 159), completed the ITQ along with the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and the Symptom Checklist-90, Revised (SCL-90-R), at several different time points after their exposure.

RESULTS:

Cross sectional study of symptom attribution and recognition of depression and anxiety in primary care

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

To examine the effect of patients' causal attributions of common somatic symptoms on recognition by general practitioners of cases of depression and anxiety and to test the hypothesis that normalising attributions make recognition less likely.

DESIGN:

Cross sectional survey.

SETTING:

One general practice of eight doctors in Bristol.

SUBJECTS:

305 general practice attenders.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:

Patients' perceptions of medical explanations for somatisation disorders: qualitative analysis

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

To describe, from the perspective of patients, distinguishing features of doctors' attempts to explain the symptoms of somatisation disorders.

DESIGN:

Qualitative analysis of verbatim records of interviews in which patients recounted doctors' explanations of their symptoms.

SETTING:

Patients with persistent somatising symptoms referred from general practices in Liverpool and St Helens and Knowsley were interviewed before entry into a treatment programme.

SUBJECTS:

Temporal relationships between physical symptoms and psychiatric disorder. Results from a national birth cohort

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Physical symptoms and psychiatric disorder are associated. We aimed to investigate which comes first.

METHODS:

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