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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Siddhi Bhivandkar, MD Reviewed 04/2024
 


BASICS

A psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event or who have been threatened with death, sexual violence, or serious injury. 

DESCRIPTION

  • The di...

DIAGNOSIS

Diagnosis is based on DSM-5 criteria  (1): 
  • Criterion A: exposure to trauma (≥1 of the following):

    • Direct experience of a traumatic event

    • In-person witnessing of a traumatic event

    • Learning of a ...

TREATMENT

Combination psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, initiated soon after the trauma, results in better prognosis. 

MEDICATION

Both paroxetine and sertraline are FDA approved drugs for the treatmen...

ONGOING CARE

  • The initial stabilization phase can be prolonged.

  • Ongoing exposure to trauma can undermine the improvement.

  • Patients with a history of childhood sexual abuse (complex PTSD) are often challe...

REFERENCES

1
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . 5th ed. Arlington, VA: Amer...

CODES

ICD10

  • F43.10 Post-traumatic stress disorder, unspecified

  • F43.11 Post-traumatic stress disorder, acute

  • F43.12 Post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic

SNOMED

  • 47505003 Posttraumatic stress disorder (dis...

CLINICAL PEARLS

Treatment is often best accomplished with a combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. 

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