Work

Comorbidity between post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder: alternative explanations and treatment considerations

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: Approximately half of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) also suffer from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The current paper examines evidence for two explanations of this comorbidity. First, that the comorbidity reflects overlapping symptoms in the two disorders. Second, that the co-occurrence of PTSD and MDD is not an artifact, but represents a trauma-related phenotype, possibly a subtype of PTSD. Support for the latter explanation is inferred from literature that examines risk and biological correlates of PTSD and MDD, including molecular processes. Treatment implications of the comorbidity are considered.

Source: Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience

DOI: 10.31887/dcns.2015.17.2/jflory

Authors: Janine D. Flory, Rachel Yehuda

Institutions: James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Language: English

Topic: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs