@article{ref1,
title="Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in patients with traumatic brain injury",
journal="BMC psychiatry",
year="2004",
author="Glaesser, Judith and Neuner, Frank and Lütgehetmann, Ralph and Schmidt, Roger and Elbert, Thomas",
volume="4",
number="",
pages="5-5",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Severe traumatic stressors such as war, rape, or life-threatening accidents can result in a debilitating psychopathological development conceptualised as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Pathological memory formation during an alarm response may set the precondition for PTSD to occur. If true, a lack of memory formation by extended unconsciousness in the course of the traumatic experience should preclude PTSD. METHODS: 46 patients from a neurological rehabilitation clinic were examined by means of questionnaires and structured clinical interviews. All patients had suffered a TBI due to an accident, but varied with respect to falling unconscious during the traumatic event. RESULTS: 27% of the sub-sample who were not unconscious for an extended period but only 3% (1 of 31 patients) who were unconscious for more than 12 hours as a result of the accident were diagnosed as having current PTSD (P <.02). Furthermore, intrusive memories proved to be far more frequent in patients who had not been unconscious. This was also the case for other re-experiencing symptoms and for psychological distress and physiological reactivity to reminders of the traumatic event. CONCLUSION: TBI and PTSD are not mutually exclusive. However, victims of accidents are unlikely to develop a PTSD if the impact to the head had resulted in an extended period of unconsciousness.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1471-244X",
doi="10.1186/1471-244X-4-5",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-4-5"
}