University of Massachusetts Medical School Faculty Publications
Title
Is Helplessness Still Helpful in Diagnosing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
UMMS Affiliation
Division of Law and Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry; Systems and Psychosocial Advances Research Center
Publication Date
2016-01-01
Document Type
Article
Disciplines
Mental and Social Health | Mental Disorders | Psychiatry
Abstract
Criteria A2, experience of helplessness, fear, or horror at the time of the traumatic event, was removed from the posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. We argue that there is empirical support for retention of A2, a criterion that has clinical value and may improve diagnostic accuracy. Specifically, we demonstrate that A2 has high negative predictive power, aids in the prediction of symptom severity, and can be indispensible to detecting the disorder in children. We examine how augmenting A2 with other peritramautic emotions could improve clinical and diagnostic utility. In our opinion, rather than being eliminated, A2 needs to be reconstructed and included as one criterion of PTSD.
DOI of Published Version
10.1097/NMD.0000000000000416
Source
J Nerv Ment Dis. 2016 Jan;204(1):3-8. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000000416. Link to article on publisher's site
Related Resources
Journal/Book/Conference Title
The Journal of nervous and mental disease
PubMed ID
26704461
Repository Citation
Pivovarova, Ekaterina; Tanaka, Gen; Tang, Michael; Bursztajn, Harold J.; and First, Michael B., "Is Helplessness Still Helpful in Diagnosing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder" (2016). University of Massachusetts Medical School Faculty Publications. 1182.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/faculty_pubs/1182