Amnesia, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: a Methodological Inquiry
Mark Creamer Ph.D., Dr. Meaghan L. O'Donella, Dr. Phillipa Pattison
Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, ARMC Pepat Campus, Heidelbueg, Victoria, Australia
Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group Newsletter (reprinted with permission from "Behaviour Research & Therapy")
This interesting study shows that amnesia for a specific event is not always present and that contrary to commonly held perceptions PTSD can arise in cases of brain injury where there is pre and post traumatic amnesia. In this post hospital admission study the association between Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI), Amnesia, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was considered. The authors found that among 307 admissions to a trauma centre, amnesia was not always present with MTBI; 18% of MTBI patients had full recall of the incident which caused their injury, and more than 50% had partial recall. Among those patients with amnesia, more than 10% developed PTSD within a year of their injury. The study concluded that not all Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries result in amnesia, PTSD can occur even in cases with amnesia, and PTSD can result from MTBI with or without the presence of amnesia.
Your feedback is appreciated.