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Persistence of combat‐related posttraumatic stress symptoms for 75 years
Author(s) -
Hamilton Joseph D.,
Workman Richard H.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1023/a:1024449517730
Subject(s) - posttraumatic stress , persistence (discontinuity) , psychology , psychiatry , dementia , world war ii , clinical psychology , medicine , disease , political science , geotechnical engineering , law , engineering
Investigations of the duration of combat‐related posttraumatic stress symptoms have focused mainly on survivors of World War II and the Vietnam War, with little attention to surviving veterans of World War I. The authors describe a case in which posttraumatic stress symptoms persisted for 75 years in a World War I combat veteran and increased in frequency toward the end of his life accompanied by advancing dementia and hospitalization. The case illustrates that posttraumatic stress symptoms may be lifelong and exacerbated by various consequences of aging, even if they are not disabling.