Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Siddhi Bhivandkar, MD and Saeed Ahmed, MD Reviewed 06/2022

BASICS

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event or who have been threatened with death, sexual violen...

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 treatment...

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

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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