Cognitive functioning in post-traumatic stress disorder

✍ Scribed by Tzvi Gil; Dr. Avraham Calev; David Greenberg; Sol Kugelmass; Bernard Lerer

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 734 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0894-9867
• DOI: 10.1002/jts.2490030104

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Tweleve Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) patients, 12 psychiatric patients matched for severity of psychopathology, and 12 normal controls were assessed for cognitive functioning by means of a comprehensive test battery. Both patient groups felt subjectively more impaired than normals. Performance on measures of intelligence, organicity, verbal fluency, memorry, and attention was significantly poorer in patients than in normals. The performance of the PTSD patients and that of the psychiatric controls was, however, very similar. The premorbid intelligence of both the PTSD patients and the psychiatric controls was average and had deteriorated significantly by the time of current testing. These cognitive problems were not secondary to alcohol, drug abuse, or head injury. The results suggest a cognitive impairment in post‐traumatic patients.