Focus

Publication date: 01 July 2003

Publication date: 01 July 2003

Although the diagnostic features of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are well defined, the condition is not always easy to recognize; in studies in primary care settings, recognition rates as low as 2% have been reported. Somatization and comorbid ...

Publication date: 01 July 2003

Publication date: 01 July 2003

Publication date: 01 July 2003

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic, disabling disorder that affects 8%–9% of the population at some point in their lifetime. The disorder is associated with significant morbidity and functional impairment, affecting both patients and family ...

Publication date: 01 July 2003

This section of the journal contains a compilation of recent publications that have shaped the thinking in the field as well as classic works that remain important to the subject reviewed in this issue. This bibliography has been compiled by experts in ...

Publication date: 01 July 2003

Publication date: 01 July 2003

Objective: The study examined the efficacy of sertraline, compared with placebo, in sustaining improvement and preventing relapse over 28 weeks in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who had completed a 12-week double-blind, placebo-...

Publication date: 01 July 2003

Objective: Early adverse life events may predispose individuals to the development of mood and anxiety disorders in adulthood, perhaps by inducing persistent changes in corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neuronal systems. The present study sought to ...

Publication date: 01 July 2003

Objective: Some prolonged and turbulent grief reactions include symptoms that differ from the DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorder. The authors investigated a new diagnosis that would include these symptoms. Method: They developed observer-based ...

Publication date: 01 July 2003

Objective: The authors used self-report data to study patterns and predictors of treatment contact after the first onset of DSM-III-R mood, anxiety, and addictive disorders. Method: Data from the National Comorbidity Survey, a general population survey of ...

Publication date: 01 July 2003

Background: Psychological debriefing is widely used for trauma victims, but there is uncertainty about its efficacy. We have previously reported a randomised controlled trial which concluded that at 4 months it was ineffective. Aims: To evaluate the 3-...

Publication date: 01 July 2003

Recent advances on the neurobiology of posttraumatic stress disorder include: the utilization of functional brain imaging; the incorporation of cross-system research including neuroendocrine (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-...

Publication date: 01 July 2003

Childhood psychic trauma appears to be a crucial etiological factor in the development of a number of serious disorders both in childhood and in adulthood. Like childhood rheumatic fever, psychic trauma sets a number of different problems into motion, any ...