TBI — or PTSD? | NEJM Clinician

The overlap of postconcussive and PTSD symptoms can confuse diagnosis.

Around 10% to 20% of people who experience a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) develop persistent cognitive, somatic, and affective symptoms, which have collectively been called postconcussion syndrome (PCS). Because mTBI may occur in the context of a potentially life-threatening event (NEJM JW Psychiatry Feb 14 2011), it is important to distinguish between PCS and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers in France compared symptom clusters related to PCS (according to 4 separate sets of criteria) and PTSD in 534 patients with mTBI and 827 patients with nonhead mild traumas (mainly limb and skin injuries), who were initially evaluated in emergency departments.

Three months postinjury, structured (not clinical) telephone interviews…

Reviewing Author

Steven Dubovsky, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportTower Foundation; Patrick Lee Foundation; Boehringer Ingelheim; Intra-Cellular Therapies; Janssen; Biogen; Allergan

Editorial BoardsMind and Brain; Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic; Current Psychiatry; Journal of Psychosomatic Research

Steven Dubovsky, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportTower Foundation; Patrick Lee Foundation; Boehringer Ingelheim; Intra-Cellular Therapies; Janssen; Biogen; Allergan

Editorial BoardsMind and Brain; Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic; Current Psychiatry; Journal of Psychosomatic Research

TBI — or PTSD?

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Reviewing Author