In Brief: Post-traumatic stress without trauma
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.
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