PTSD in mental health outpatient settings: highly prevalent and under-recognized

Author(s):Show less -

da Silva, Herika C. ; da Rosa, Maisa M. Furtado ; Berger, William ; Luz, Mariana P. ; Mendlowicz, Mauro ; Coutinho, Evandro S. F. ; Portella, Carla M. ; Marques, Pamela I. S. ; Mograbi, Daniel C. ; Figueira, Ivan ; Ventura, Paula

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria; v. 41, n. 3, p. 5-pg., 2019-05-01.

Abstract

Objectives: To estimate the current prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the diagnosis rate of this disorder ascertained by psychiatrists in training. Methods: We interviewed 200 adults under treatment in a university mental health outpatient clinic. The PTSD diagnoses obtained using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV) were compared with the patients' medical records. Results: Forty-one patients (20.5%) were diagnosed with current PTSD, but only one of them (2.4%) had previously received this diagnosis. This study confirms that although PTSD is highly prevalent among mental health outpatients, it is remarkably underdiagnosed in teaching hospitals. Conclusions: These findings suggest that psychiatrists in training may be failing to investigate traumatic events and their consequences and strongly indicate that trauma-related issues should be given more prominence in psychiatry curricula and psychiatrist training. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 04/15039-0 - Post-traumatic stress disorder: epidemiology, physiopathology and treatment
• Grantee: Jair de Jesus Mari
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants