Clinical features of PTSD in patients with TBI

Abstract

Objective

Modern scientific researches about interaction between TBI and PTSD are characterized by few amounts and contradiction of conclusions.

Method

Twenty-eight persons with TBI were examined by means of questionnaires and structured clinical interviews. 17 patients were suffering from PTSD. We compared clinical features in patients with isolated TBI and group with both disorders.

Results

Four groups of symptoms were analyzed–sleep, emotions, cognition and personality features. Disorders of sleep were presented with violation of REM cycle, nightmares, hyperexcitation, increase watchfulness during the sleep. Emotional disorders were expressed as lability without external irritations; an excessive emotional reaction is on small events, agitation, irritability, inadequacy of emotional reactions and apathy (loss of desire to think, to feel, and/or to operate). Cognitive disorders included deceleration of psychomotor reactions, difficulties of searching of words in communication, problems of switching of attention, rigidity, difficulties in planning, decision of multistage tasks, violation of operative memory, executive dysfunction. Features of personality disorders were loss of initiation and self-control, decline of spontaneity, surplus attention is to the details, inadequacy of self-appraisal, feeling of inferiority, an increase necessity is for control and lordship over other, aggression (socially inadequate behavior, episodes of anger).

Conclusions

Psychopathological features presented in patients with comorbidity of PTSD and TBI are not specific and can be within the framework of other psychogenic, exogenous, organic, posttraumatic or neurological disorders and diseases. PTSD can combine with other psychical and somatic disorders that caused chronological and pathogenetical comorbidity in patients with both states.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.