Clinical assessment for post-traumatic stress disorder

British Journal of Nursing : BJN
A P Finnegan

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an increasingly fashionable diagnosis used to describe an individual who experiences psychological problems following his/her involvement in a traumatic event. However, PTSD can prove difficult to assess accurately owing to the unique problems of co-morbidity with other psychological disorders or the late onset of symptoms. Paradoxically, PTSD may be misdiagnosed by a healthcare professional which may result in inappropriate therapeutic intervention. This article introduces a simple five-stage assessment that is designed to help the clinician determine whether the client's distress is caused by PTSD or another disorder. These guidelines are structured and explore the five stages of PTSD assessment: collecting background information; initial contact with the client; correctly identifying the problem; general assessment; and summary. Finally, some recommended structured clinical assessment guidelines and psychometric rating scales are outlined.

References

Feb 1, 1979·Psychological Medicine·D P Goldberg, V F Hillier
May 1, 1979·Psychosomatic Medicine·M HorowitzW Alvarez
Aug 1, 1989·Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior·B A Gosnell, M J Majchrzak
Nov 1, 1989·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·J H ShoreE L Tatum
Jan 1, 1989·Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. Supplementum·B RaphaelL Weisaeth
Jan 1, 1986·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·A C McFarlane
Oct 1, 1994·BMJ : British Medical Journal·B C Bende
Jul 1, 1994·The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science·M P DeahlM Srinivasan
Nov 9, 1995·British Journal of Nursing : BJN·A P Finnegan
Feb 1, 1997·Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps·D J VassalloA P Finnegan
Jul 1, 1997·The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science·J I BissonC Bannister
Aug 7, 1998·Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps·A P FinneganM E Piper
May 1, 1965·Archives of General Psychiatry·H C ARCHIBALD, R D TUDDENHAM

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jul 23, 2010·Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps·A FinneganR Ashford
Aug 19, 2003·The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry·Susan CadellDavid Hemsworth
Feb 6, 2004·Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology·Patricia FrazierJeffrey Long
May 4, 2006·Journal of Wound Care·R Harper, L Anson

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anxiety Disorders

Discover the latest research on anxiety disorders including agoraphobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder here.