Trauma stress disorder after

Dissociative Disorders. Many of the reexperiencing symptoms of PTSD are, in fact, dissociative phenomena. The numbing symptoms of PTSD also resemble the depersonalization and derealization experienced by those with dissociative disorders. Furthermore, dissociative symptoms are the principal manifestation of acute stress disorder, the predecessor to PTSD that arises in the first month after a trauma. The diagnosis of a dissociative disorder is warranted when dissociative symptoms exceeding the PTSD criteria, (e.g., amnesia or profound identity disturbance) are present. 

Lesaca, T. (1996). Symptoms of stress disorder and depression among trauma counselors after an airline disaster. Psychiatric... 

Besides the paucity of historic data, another difficnlty associated with mental health studies of disaster victims is the lack of standardization of criteria used for case definitions of mental health disorders following mass trauma, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (6,7). Diagnostic criteria for PTSD, as noted in the fourth edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual (DSM-IV), should go beyond specified combinations of symptoms to include requirements for symptom duration and the patient s ability to function (6,7). Specifically, for a PTSD diagnosis, the patient must have symptoms for more than 1 month, and the symptoms must cause clinically significant distress or impair the patient s ability to function (6,7). In addition, the symptoms must occur after the traumatic event and could not have existed before the event. Unfortunately, many studies have used questionnaires that fail to distinguish new symptoms following traumatic events from previous prevalent symptoms such as sleeplessness that many people have at various times (6). The consequence is that many studies tend to inflate the prevalence of PTSD. 

Lees-Haley PR Malingering traumatic mental disorder on the Beck Depression Inventory cancerphobia and toxic exposure. Psychol Rep 65 623-626,1989c Lees-Haley PR Malingering mental disorder on the Impact of Event Scale (IES) toxic exposure and cancerphobia. J Trauma Stress 3 315-321, 1990 Lees-Haley PR, Brown RS Biases in perception and reporting following a perceived toxic exposure. Percept Mot Skills 75 531-544, 1992 LeQuesne PM, Axford AT, McKerrow CB, et al Neurological complications after a single severe exposure to toluene di-isocyanate. British Journal of Industrial Medicine 33 72-78, 1976... 

It is not surprising that the American Psychiatric Association lists the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness as one of several potential criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is right up there with suffering trauma after military combat or after violent personal assaults. Some 3 to 35 percent of cancer patients suffer from PTSD. ... 

This remarkable lability of a memory trace, which permits a reorganization of an existing memory in a retrieval environment, provides a theoretical basis for both psychotherapeutic and pharmacotherapeutic intervention for traumatic stress exposure as well as other anxiety disorders. Administration of P-receptor and NMDA receptor antagonists shortly after trauma exposure or spontaneous panic attacks as well as after reactivation of memory associated with the anxiety-inducing event may reduce the strength of the original memory. 

It has been shown that after stress or injury, the brain produces and releases its own natural version of opiates to control pain and ease anxiety. People with PTSD continue to produce elevated levels of natural opiates after the trauma has passed. In addition, there exists an increased use of heroin and other opiate-based drugs of abuse among patients with PTSD. Once more, it is difficult to determine whether these elevated natural opiates existed before the disorder developed. 

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