engleski

Work-related posttraumatic stress disorder

The purpose of the study was to obtain more information on precipitating factors and characteristics of the work-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Much has been said about the war-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Croatia; however, the work-related PTSD seems to be underreported. We examined characteristics of the work-related PTSD in a group of patients from our occupational medicine clinic that were also sent for psychiatric examination. Patients with the war-related PTSD were excluded from this study. Thirty-two patients fulfilled diagnostic criteria for the PTSD according to the DSM-IV classification. Twenty-four patients were males and eight females. All exposures to the traumatic event(s) occurred in the workplace or were work related: seven patients were victims of acts of violence, five of industrial accidents involving intoxication, four of fire, four of fall from a high place, four of hand injury; in two cases contact with dead or injured people and in six cases other various incidents provoked the onset of the disorder. In three cases repeated traumatic events of the same sort occurred in a period of several years. The period between the incident and present evaluation ranged from 1.5 months to 29 years. Symptoms lasted three months or more in all but three patients; hence most cases could be designated as chronic. In only nine cases the disorder has been recognized early and the patients received psychiatric help during the first year after the incident. Over fifty percent of the patients experienced a late (>5 years after the incident) exacerbation of the symptoms, which was significantly more pronounced among those patients who didn't receive any psychiatric help during the first year after the incident. A considerable distress, quite a long absence from work and/or lasting disability were recorded among almost all patients. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious, often unrecognized and hence inadequately treated consequence of a wide variety of severe traumatic stressors occurring in relation to the work and occupation. The importance of timely recognition of the disorder and of adequate therapeutic measures have been emphasized. A similar study on a larger sample would certainly be warranted.

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