Comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression

Abstract

Comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression offers the possibility to explore broad spectrum of interaction of mood and anxiety disorders in several domains: in the domain of clinical presentation, as well as in the treatment effectiveness and in the domain of pathophysiology of the two disorders.

The aim of the paper is to determine characteristics of the clinical presentation of the comorbid PTSD and depression.

Method

60 patients were assessed by means of the following intruments: SCID for DSM-IV, CAPS-DX, MADRS and HAMD. The data were analyzed using the methods of descriptive statistics and of corellational and regressional analyses.

Results pointed out that comorbidity of depression and PTSD is associated with higher intensity of intrusive symptom cluster, especially with flash-backs and intrusive thoughts distinctive to either PTSD or to depression, with broader spectrum of emotional and mood experiences and with more patient suffering. The results of corellational analysis pointed out to the group of symptoms which were distinctive for depression. The results of the regressional analysis pointed onto possible connection of illness course and its severity.

Conclusion

Analysis of the clinical presentation and of complex spectrum of interactions of the depression and PTSD inclusively enabled better understanding of symptoms presented by the patients, choice of the more effective treatment strategies and shed some light onto possible mechanisms of the human reactivity to extreme traumatic experiences.