In Brief

Post-traumatic stress without trauma

A study published in June 2005 challenges the accepted view of reactions to trauma by showing that experiences not usually regarded as traumatic can cause the characteristic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

More than 800 patients from a family practice answered a questionnaire comparing symptoms that follow a traumatic event — one outside the range of normal human experience — with symptoms following more common "life events" such as illness or problems in work and personal relationships.