Patients with “personality disorder”, has history of traumatic life events and are predisposed to develop alexithymia and dissociation, considered as risk factor for severity.

The aim of the research is to analyze alexithymia relating to dissociative symptoms, and investigate their associations, in 34 patients with personality disorder.

Outpatients with personality disorder relating to Mental Health Centre have been identified and tested with the Dissociative Experiences Scale, the Parma Scale for Personality Functioning and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale.

There was no significant association between age of patients and presence of alexithymia (r=-0.16) and dissociation (r=-0.19); most patients with alexithymia and dissociation were female (67%; 0.67%). 71% of alexithymic subjects had attended lower secondary school, 50% upper secondary school and 43% had a university degree. Substance use is higher in alexithymic patients (73%). 69% of subjects who do not undergo any individual or group psychotherapy are alexithymic; for dissociative symptoms it is significant to undergo both psychotherapies. Alexithymia and dissociation are more frequent in histrionic personality disorder (80%; 60%) and borderline personality disorder (55%; 54%). There is a potential correlation between alexithymia and the presence of dissociative symptoms (r=0.64).

This study found that alexithymia and dissociative symptoms are frequent within personality disorders, particularly in histrionic and borderline personality disorder. We found that the two phenomena were associated. Furthermore we found alexithymia is more influenced by external factors than dissociative symptoms.

No significant relationships.

The role of sensitivity to punishment on aggression is controversial, both positive and negative relationships have been observed in previous literature.

The aim of this research was to clarify the role of sensitivity to punishment in different types of aggression and provide a better understanding of the influence of emotional regulation on this relationship.

Two hundred and twenty-nine participants took part in the study (130 women; average age = 21.52 years). All of them were assessed for levels of verbal aggression, physical aggression, anger, and hostility (by Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire), levels of sensitivity to punishment (by SPSRQ–20), and emotional regulation ability (by MSCEIT).

A higher reactivity to punishment had a direct negative effect on physical and verbal aggression. However, a higher reactivity to punishment also showed a positive indirect effect on verbal and physical aggression through an increase in anger and hostility. In addition, ability in regulating emotions moderated the indirect effects of sensitivity to punishment on physical aggression.

Our results suggest that sensitivity to punishment can act both as a protective factor and as a risk factor for aggression. This relationship depended on the type of aggression studied and the emotional regulation abilities. These findings can help to inform the design of programs aimed at reducing aggressive behaviour. This work was funded by Junta de Andalucía (projects: EMERGIA20_00056 and UMA18-FEDERJA-137) to Alberto Megías Robles.

No significant relationships.

The uncertainty of COVID-pandemia, vital danger and disruptions in the habitual social contacts can be paralleled to the experiences of severe emotional stress and violence, usually found in the people with Borderline Personality Disorder. Both can be regarded as hampering the ability to categorize and express thoughts, feelings and experiences. The implementation of distant forms of psychological counseling may accentuate the mentalization deficiency.

To develop a theoretical framework for an empirical typology of impairments of mentalization.

The model of consciousness proposed by L.S. Vygotsky was used for theoretical generalization of the levels of categorical structures of mentalization observed in previous empirical studies.

The following structures were identified: (1) the syncretic type of mentalization with low differentiation and complexity of object representations, their negative affective tone, autistic, chaotically mutable motivation and low emotional investment in relationships were described in patients with schizotypal disorders; (2) the “complex” type, with literal, non-generalized, field-dependent and rigid, or unstable, representation of the self, others and relationships as a result of the “fusion” of cognitive representations with the current emotional states. Similar types of mentalization were previously described in people with BPD and self-harming behavior (Sokolova, Laisheva, 2017).

The ’syncretic’ and ’complex’ types of mentalization produce affective-cognitive distortions of the image of a psychotherapist, hamper the understanding of the conditional and metaphorical character of the therapeutic process, render difficult the de-traumatization of the unbearable experiences, and lessen the effectiveness of consultations of people with BPD.

No significant relationships.

Perfectionism, as a multiform trait of character, plays an important role in the formation of motivation of achievements in socially significant activity. Adaptive perfectionism, together with the desire to achieve recognition in one’s professional community and insure the emotional stability. Maladaptive (neurotic) perfectionism is directed towards the achievement of excessively high (non-relevant) standards of activity, a constant anxiety, internal stress and lack of self-confidence

To pinpoint the types of perfectionism that graduating medical students at Medical University experience, those who, during all the years of study, showed high academic results

Forty-nine graduating medical students volunteered to take part in the study, their average mark being not lower than 4.75 (maximum was 5). Their average age was 22.41±0.75. The following scales measured the level of expressiveness of perfectionism: A.A. Zolotareva, Hewitt and Flett, I.I. Gracheva

The results of the study undertaken showed two distinct groups. Students of the first group (79.6%) aimed at high internal standards in their study that would make them very well prepared professionally for their future work as doctors. They consciously accepted the common rules and norms of their society. Students of the other group (20.4%), consciously and subconsciously, estimate their high academic results as a good way of overcoming personal disturbances. They have excessive non-realistic demands towards self and others

The results of our study make it possible for us to suppose that medical students of the second group will experience quite a lot of difficulties in their future professional activity

No significant relationships.

Borderline personality disorder is characterized by a pattern in which instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image and affections prevails, and intense impulsivity present in the early stages of adulthood and with altered functionality in several contexts.

Establish what functions may be altered in crisis situations in borderline personality disorder.

Point out what legal tools we have available in situations in which the will is altered in borderline personality disorder.

Reflect on borderline personality disorder and its relationship with substance use.

Regarding a clinical case with a 25-year-old patient with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder and a history of use in a pattern of dependence (opioids, cannabis, cocaine) who is admitted to a hospital for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures secondary to pathology to which it is denied, determining the absence of the capacity to give consent. A systematic review of the existing bibliography on borderline personality disorder, substance use disorder and decision-making capacity has been carried out using as key words: borderline personality disorder decision-making capacity.

The presence of anxious symptoms, affective instability, feelings of emptiness and hopelessness as well as impulsivity can give rise to scenarios in which the decision-making capacity is impaired, being necessary to resort to legal means that allow us to prioritize the well-being of the patient.

The decision-making capacity can be altered in crisis situations in borderline personality disorder, having legal tools at hand that allow us to carry out actions to preserve the physical state of patients.

No significant relationships.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause changes in the personality and behaviors. History of TBI has been associated with violent behavior and substance abuse.

Presentation of a clinical case of a patient with antisocial personality traits who suffered a TBI and abuses alcohol.

We conducted a bibliographic review by searching for articles published the last 5 years in Pubmed

We present the case of a 48-year-old male patient with a history of myoclonic epilepsy, who suffered a TBI in a car crash. During his stay at ICU antisocial and borderline personality traits were found. When he came to consultations, he presented signs of alcohol intoxication (verbiage with hasty and dysarthric speech, and psychomotor incoordination). He acknowledges daily alcohol intake, although he minimizes it. During the interview he is irritable, prone to anger when contradicted and boasts of episodes of heteroaggressiveness and violence that he has carried out in the past. He reports morning sickness and tremors, but does not accept that they may be due to alcohol withdrawal. There is no motivation for change.

It has been determined that history of TBI is more frequent in individuals with antisocial personality. TBI has been linked to violent behaviors, poor inhibitory control, engaging in illegal acts and higher rates of substance abuse. However, the causal relationship between antisocial behavior and TBI has yet to be clarified, as the available evidence does not show which comes first. More research is needed in the future that takes into account the temporal sequence of events.

No significant relationships.

Few is known regarding the intervening variables between pathological narcissism and sadism personality. Specifically, envy is a psychoanalytical construct that appears especially promising in illuminating such relationships.

To extend the knowledge regarding the nomological network of pathological narcissism.

We administered to a sample of Italian adults a battery of self-report questionnaires including the Italian version of the Benign and Malicious Envy Scale, the Assessment of Narcissistic Personality, The Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire and the Pathological Narcissism Inventory.

First, the Italian version of the Benign and Malicious Envy Scale showed good fit indexes confirming the original factorial structure as well as configural invariance. We found that only the grandiosity facet of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory, the Rivalry subscale of the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire and the Malicious subscale of the Benign and Malicious Envy Scale positively and significantly predicted Assessment of Narcissistic Personality scores. Moreover, throughout a structural equation modeling approach, the hypothesis that rivalry and malicious envy both mediate the relationship between grandiosity and sadism was empirically supported.

The use of the Benign and Malicious Envy Scale resulted to be promising in the investigation of the nomological network of pathological narcissism. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

No significant relationships.

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is an under-researched mental disorder, and these patients are often excluded from mental healthcare and thus from studies. The consequences of antisocial behavior result in great burden for the patients, victims, family members and for society, and it is associated with criminality, substance use and relationship difficulties.

The aim of this abstract is to review the current possibilities of treatment, and its efficacy.

We present a revision of the state of the art on treatment of ASPD, drawing from PubMed and using the keywords “Antisocial personality disorder” and “treatment”, in a time period ranging from 2011 to 2021, inclusive.

There is little evidence of effective treatments for patients with ASPD and no intervention has been established as the treatment of choice for this disorder. Recent studies, found benefits from Mentalization-based treatment (MBT), that specifically targets the ability to recognise and understand the mental states of oneself and others, an ability compromised in these patients. Specifically, reduction of anger, hostility, paranoia, and frequency of self-harm and suicide attempts, as well as the improvement of negative mood, general psychiatric symptoms, interpersonal problems, and social adjustment were found.

ASPD is a condition that incurs substantial societal and individual costs. Although proper treatment is yet being discussed, MBT is a psychotherapeutic treatment that has shown some promising preliminary results. Thus, we believe that guidelines on the treatment of ASPD and possibilities for more systematical research, with prevention programs, is urgently needed.

No significant relationships.

There is a high comorbidity between psychiatric disorders and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), observed in up to 58% of these patients; specifically, mood disorders, anxiety and personality disorders (PD). In some patients with PD there are nonspecific alterations in the EEG, which nevertheless sometimes involve pathology. The presence of personality disorders along with JME has been repeatedly described. Previous studies have emphasized the difficulties in treating patients with JME, which have been attributed to some specific psychiatric, psychological and psychosocial characteristics.

Describing distinctive personality traits in JME

Review of scientific literature based on a relevant clinical case.

19-year-old woman, single. Psychiatric history since she was 12 due to anxiety-depressive symptoms, after being diagnosed with JME. 4 admissions in Psychiatry, with a variety of diagnoses: eating disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and borderline personality disorder. The evolution of both disorders has been parallel, presenting epileptic seizures due to irregular therapeutic adherence together with pseudo-seizures, which made difficult their differential diagnosis. In addition, he has had frequent visits to the emergency room for suicide attempts and impulsive behaviors.

In 1957, for the first time, distinctive personality traits were described in patients with JME: lack of control and perseverance, emotional instability, variable self-concept and reactive mood, which have been confirmed in subsequent studies. It is believed as epilepsy progresses, patients tend to develop symptoms of depression, anxiety, social problems, and attention deficit. Therefore, these patients have difficulty in following medical recommendations, especially precautions regarding precipitating factors for seizures.

No significant relationships.

The BFI-2-S assesses the domain level of the Big Five with three prototypical facets of each domain capturing approximately 91% of the total variance in the full BFI-2 domain scales and approximately 89% of the predictive power of the BFI-2 facets in German adaptations and their original American versions.

The study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the Arabic adaptation of the BFI-2 short form.

The Arabic version of the BFI-2-S a 30-item with 15 and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO–PI-R) were administered to 1560 (576 males, 984 females) Kuwait University undergraduates with a mean age = 22.75 ± 3.81. The internal consistency reliability, factor structure, and convergent validity of the BFI-2-S with NEO–PI-R were assessed.

Cronbach’s alpha was satisfactory for N (0.79), E (0.73), O (0.73), A (0.76) and C (0.77). Results revealed significant gender differences in O, C & E with a favor for males and in N a favor with females. PCA showed that BFI-2-S five factors explains 64.38% of the total variance. However, the high mean correlations between the BFI-2-S and NEO–PI-R scales, with coefficients of (0.67) for the N, (0.66) for the E, (0.56) for the C, (0.61) for the A, and (0.58) for the C. The convergence between each BFI-2-S domain correlated substantially with the relevant NEO-PI-R domain scales, with the average correlation being .62.

The findings support the psychometric properties of the Arabic adaptations of the BFI-2-S as useful instruments for assessing the Big Five.

No significant relationships.

Awareness and knowledge about borderline personality disorder (BPD) is growing during the last decade in Egypt. Yet little is known about the attitude of mental health care providers toward BPD sufferers. Stigma and judgments among health care providers will affect the quality of services provided to these group of patients. Determining those judgments and pointing to the stigma between health care providers will help improving the quality of care to BPD sufferers.

Our objective was to study the attitude of mental health care providers in Egypt toward patients with borderline personality disorder.

62 mental health care providers, with a majority of psychiatrists, working in Egypt completed the attitude to personality disorder questionnaire “APDQ” designed by Bowers et al. (1998). The questionnaire was disturbed through an online form and knowledge of English was mandatory as it was the language of the questionnaire.

The 62 partcipants of which 74.2% were psychiatrists and 68.7% had more than 5 years experince had a total mean score of APDQ of 138.76. The total mean score of 47 psychiatrists was 137.21 which was significantly lower than the mean score of 15 clinical psychologists and counsellors which scored 146.87.

Whereas mental health care professionals in Egypt had generally positive attitude towards BPD patients, clinical psychologists and counsellors had significantly higher scores in comparison to psychiatrists.

No significant relationships.

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is characterized by a long term pattern of disregard for, or violation of the rights of others that occurs in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood. This disorder remains unknown in women.

The aim of this study was to describe socio-demographic, clinical, psychometric and therapeutic characteristics of women with ASPD hospitalized in psychiatric ward.

A cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted in G psychiatry department, in Razi hospital. It included 20 women with ASPD and hospitalized in psychiatric ward. Socio-demographic, clinical and therapeutic characteristics were assessed. A psychometric evaluation was carried out by the application of six scales: BIS 11, HCR 20, VRAG, PCL-R, ENFP and PID5-BF.

The mean age of the patients was 34 ± 9 years. Patients with a personal history of suicide attempt accounted for 45% of the study population. Patients with a criminal history accounted for 67.5% of the study population. A substance-related disorder was found in 85% of the patients. Adjustment Disorder was retained in 42.5% of the patients and Psychotic Disorder was diagnosed in 32.5% of the population. The average score at VRAG was 6.18 ± 5.8. The mean score at PCL R was 24 ± 4.2. High impulsivity scores were found.

ASPD represents a major concern for clinicians in psychiatric wards. A better knowledge of the characteristics of this trouble in women could improve their quality of care.

No significant relationships.

Adults diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) likely have a history of psychological trauma. There has been research about the connection between Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (c-PTSD) and BPD.

This paper provides a review of the relationship between complex trauma and key features of BPD.

Review of the literature from 2015 to present, using search engines such as Pubmed and Google Shoolar, using the following keywords: borderline personality disorder, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, trauma

Traumatic victimisation and compromised primary caregiving relationships have been hypothesized to be key aetiological factors in the subsequent development of BPD. c-PTSD was defined as a syndrome with symptoms of emotional dysregulation, dissociation somatisation and poor self-esteem, with distorted cognition about relationships, following traumatic interpersonal abuse. It was proposed as an alternative for understanding and treating people who had suffered prolonged and severe interpersonal trauma, many of whom were diagnosed with BPD. Although, the boundaries between c-PTSD and BPD remain vague. Currently, the main difference is the assumption that symptoms of c-PTSD are sequelae of exposure to traumatic stress, which is not inherent in the current DSM-5 definition of BPD. Furthermore, to date, the neurochemistry and neurostructural changes seen in c-PTSD, BPD and PTSD do not clearly differentiate the three conditions.

BPD and PTSD are relatively distinct with regard to the precise qualitative definitions of their diagnostic features, but nevertheless have substantial potential overlap in their symptom criteria.

No significant relationships.

The word cringe has suffered alterations in its colloquial application, with its most recent version, adopted by generation Z and millennials, as a response to embarrassment or social awkwardness by proxy. This odd emotion is interesting in that it translates a vicarious embarrassment which is elicited whenever one is in the presence of a social blunder, public failures and threats to another’s social integrity.

The authors aim to explore the novel concept of cringe, briefly discussing what is currently known about the emotional response. A potential correlation between empathy and cringe is discussed as well as the hypothesis that certain psychiatric disorders such as personality disorder may demonstrate altered cringe responses.

The authors propose a non-systematized brief literature review on works most pertinent to the topic.

Formal and structured studies into the concept of cringe are far and few between, however, the literature does demonstrate that, the neural pathways of how social closeness affects our experience of cringe are starting to be explored. The concept of cringe, has also been described as a vicarious social pain. Exploration into the empathy pathways and their abnormalities, may demonstrate the underlying construct of cringe. Lack of this feeling may be present in those with empathy alterations, such as is seen in antisocial personality disorder.

Cringe is an uncomfortable feeling that surges when in the presence of someone suffering socially. Understanding this oddity may permit further understanding of empathy pathways as well as exploring the neural abnormalities of those who do not feel cringe.

No significant relationships.

Neuroscience advances open the debate on improving brain functionality and human behavior. Transhumanism advocates the use of biotechnology for the betterment of man, transcending into another nature. Neuroethics marks limits of the application and experimentation in neuroscience, also proposing an interdisciplinary philosophical reflection valuing the multidimensionality of human mind.

To analyze the transhumanist approach of domining human nature controlling cognitive and moral functions through technique. A critique from neuroethics in an interdisciplinary key to evaluate the complexity of mental functionality and the derived issues that go beyond the scientific scope, with the help of philosophy.

A bibliographic review on neuroscience and neuroethics is carried out, finding a core consensus in the warning of the biopsychosocial complexity of the set of realities that shape the human being, facing a reductionist vision of neuroscience.

Despite the advances in biotechnology and neuroscientific research, the transhumanist approach of brain enhancement transgressing human reality and reducing its nature to a mechanical question that can be controlled through psychopharmacological resources, becomes dystopian due to the lack of ontological continuity in the deconstruction of the human being in a set of neural circuits, and the lack of consideration of all the dimensions that configure the human mind and existence.

An interdisciplinary vision is necessary to analyze the human mind, avoiding falling into the brain reductionism of the neuroscientific paradigm, for an holistic understanding of the human mind and behaviors, beside the integration of a philosophical reflection to join neurobiology and moral dimensions, in a humanist return from transhumanism.

No significant relationships.

The National Institute for Mental Illness (NIMH) launched in 2008 a project based on ‘precision medicine,’ called Research Domain Criteria (RDoC). This precision medicine approach, novel in the context of psychiatry, proposes to identify the “fundamental components of behavior,” determining their range of variations from normality to abnormality and identifying their instantiations at different levels of the biological mechanism. To achieve its goal, an essential task of the RDoC initiative has been to identify and classify psychological constructs associated with psychopathology and to cut them off at a finer degree of granularity, presumably in order to have a greater chance of finding the biological mechanisms which implement every resultant part.

Our work aims to show the limitations that psychiatry faces when assuming the mechanistic model of explanations. We will show how, if we accept the phenomenon of multiple realization, it is not plausible to expect that the RDoC initiative will be successful in their enterprise to track single or precise causal mechanisms for every construct identified at the cognitive level.

Philosophical argumentation

No results.

We conclude that an approach that aims to identify single functional units and to dig down at a “fundamental level” to find their neural or genetic implementation should not only be reconsidered in terms of the phenomenon of multiple realization, but also leaves a gap in our understanding of the complex structures that are found at the cognitive-functional level and whose dysfunctions would be of great explanatory relevance concerning mental disorders.

No significant relationships.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), conceived in the womb of Chinese culture, is gaining more and more popularity in the world. What views on its possibilities do dentists studying in Russia have?

Our goal is to establish the peculiarities of the attitude to TCM that are characteristic of dental students and correlate them with their psychosocial qualities.

We surveyed anonymously 106 dental students of Ulianov Chuvash State University using the Attitude to TCM Survey (E. Nikolaev) and the Sociocultural Health Questionnaire (E. Nikolaev). To analyze the interrelations, we used a correlation analysis.

More than two thirds of the respondents (72.6%) know about TCM, 20.8% consider it more effective than conventional medicine. Respondents with a higher level of stress show more interest in TCM (r=.27, p<.05), those who smoke hookah have less interest (r=-.25, p<.05). Students who less often work out in a gym are ready to turn to TCM (r=.23, p<.05). Students who are less often engaged in sports are more inclined to go to China for TCM treatment (r=.19, p<.05). They also less often agree that TCM can help Russian people (r=-.22, p<.05). Stronger belief in the possibilities of TCM correlates with deeper trust in private medicine (r=.22, p<.05). We did not find any correlations with the level of health.

A more positive attitude to TCM in dental students is correlated with less physical activity, higher stress, as well as deeper trust in private medicine.

No significant relationships.

Although difficult to define, the concept of evil is widely used and implicitly influences psychiatric judgements and diagnosis. Most definitions of evil rely on classical philosophical concepts, but it remains controversial if evil is a concept by itself or rather a dysfunction on the ability to experience goodness. Also, it is unclear if there is a neurobiological basis for evil or if it is entirely dependent on socio-cultural beliefs.

In this work, we intend to systematize evidence on the philosophical definitions and neurobiological correlates of evil, and reflect on its implications in clinical psychiatry.

Literature review.

The concept of evil has been a theme of debate since the ancient Greek, where Plato argued that evil was a result of ignorance and Aristoteles saw morality as a guide for education and politics. Nietzsche claimed that evil was a dangerous concept that was created by the church, while Hannah Arendt underlined the banality of evil by highlighting “thoughtlessness” that frequently justify evil acts. From a neurobiological perspective, studies assessing individuals with neuro-psychiatric conditions associated with evil-related behavioral abnormalities have been suggesting a potential role of frontal and limbic structures, as well as of the serotonergic system. However, several of these studies assessed presumed correlates of evil, such as antisocial personality disorder or impulsive-aggressive behavior.

Despite the polemic frontier between neurosciences and morality, a conceptual insight over the definition of evil is vital to guide comprehensiveness and clinical approach when dealing with deviant evil-like behaviors.

No significant relationships.

Anxiety is an ambiguous term, meaning an emotional state, a clinical symptom, a disorder, or a group of disorders. Anxiety is a normal feeling that arises when a person believes he is in danger from a threat or unidentified danger, ensuing with a state of alertness, arousal, and exploratory attention. Its distinction from neighbouring concepts, such as anguish, fear, worry, anxiety, panic, or uneasiness, is valuable but controversial.

Review and synthesize various contributions from phenomenology and philosophy to the understanding of what it is like to experience generalized anxiety.

Selective review of the most prominent literature regarding anxiety psychopathology, namely that of Jaspers, Heidegger, López-Ibor, Sims, Berrios, Femi Oyebode, Pio Abreu, James Aho, Picazo Zappino and Gerrit Glas.

Jaspers described free-float anxiety as common and painful, floating and detached, as a feeling of misunderstood genesis, imposing despite the inapparent object, driving an inescapable need to provide some content to it, but also susceptible to insight by those who experience it. It can take a vitalized or primarily psychic form. Anxiety is closely related to the limits of the human being and to (hopelessness). For Heidegger, angst is the expression of authentic existence. López-Ibor considered anxiety and anguish nuances of the same experience, in both of which there is fear of the dissolution of the unity and continuity of the self (anguish). When what exists is not a fear, but only a threat, anxiety arises.

Phenomenologically informed psychopathology is relevant for clinicians. Complementing neurosciences, each answers questions that the other cannot.

No significant relationships.

Late onset stress symptomatology (LOSS) is a relatively new concept in combat veterans, which includes repeated but not intrusive thoughts about combat-related experiences, irritability, or nightmares that do not cause impairment of daily functioning.

The objectives of this study were to identify the LOSS phenomenon in geriatric combat veterans and to establish a correlation between LOSS and cognitive deficit ± major stressors.

The electronic database was searched for the last 2 years from starting the study with the hypothesis that the LOSS phenomenon has been diagnosed with sleep, anxiety, trauma-related, or impulse control related disorders. Records were examined for trauma-related symptoms, excluding major symptoms of trauma-related stressors. The veterans were assessed objectively using LOSS, PCL-5 (PTSD checklist for DSM-5), social readjustment rating scales, and MOCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment scale) for cognitive screening.

We reviewed 1329 patient records and identified 35 potential LOSS subjects. Four veterans were diagnosed with PTSD not otherwise specified, 2 with anxiety disorder unspecified, and 1 veteran with nightmare disorder. The majority (85%) of the veterans scored >40 in PCL-5, and only one veteran fulfilled the criteria for LOSS, who scored 67 on the LOSS scale. All the veterans scored ≤25 on MOCA with a significant deficit in recent recall.

Our study shows new onset stress-related symptoms are strongly associated with significant cognitive deficits and higher individual stress levels. The onset of PTSD symptoms in older combat veterans might have been correlated with the onset of cognitive deficits, as suggested by several other studies.

No significant relationships.