17,18 In diagnosing PTSD, it is probably safer to not include dissociative amnesia as a potential symptom. Relevant to the interplay with TBI is the proposed revision of PTSD in the upcoming revision of DSM-5, which suggests several changes to the PTSD criteria.19 The subjective response to the trauma at the time of the event (Criterion A2) is to be deleted because it does not enhance accuracy of identifying people with PTSD. This is important

for patients with 1131 because many Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical patients, especially those with more severe TBI, do not initially respond with a sense of fear or helplessness because of their impaired consciousness. Avoidance is being redefined to only include active avoidance of thoughts and situations, in recognition of the fact that numerous factor Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical analytic studies have identified four factors of PTSD: reexperiencing, active avoidance, numbing/passive avoidance, and arousal.20-24 Most of these studies have found that emotional numbing and social withdrawal are distinct from more active avoidance strategies. This is relevant because

numbing and withdrawal can often be observed in more severe TBI; by separating these passive responses into a separate requisite Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical cluster, it raises the possibility of differential diagnosis problems for more severe TBI patients, many of whom will display these symptoms. This cluster also includes alterations in mood and cognition, and comprises a range of symptoms that may include a range of emotional Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical responses beyond fear and anxiety.25 This may also be problematic in terms of differential diagnosis because of the frequent depressive and generalized anxiety seen in more severe TBI

patients. Although the arousal cluster is retained, there is the expansion of several symptoms, including aggressive behavior and self-destructive/reckless behavior. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical These latter symptoms can be observed in the context of reduced inhibition in more severe TBI patients, thereby raising further differential diagnosis problems in distinguishing between symptoms of severe TBI and PTSD. In contrast to ASD, Levetiracetam the International Classification of Diseases26 conceptualizes acute stress reaction as a transient reaction that can be evident immediately after the learn more traumatic event and usually resolves within 2 to 3 days after trauma exposure. The ICD description of acute stress reaction includes dissociative (daze, stupor, amnesia), anxiety (tachycardia, sweating, flushing), anger, or depressive reactions, which may have more utility for clinicians than the more focused ASD criteria.27 This position presumes that the initial period after trauma exposure may result in a rather general state of distress that can include many emotional responses that cannot be readily classified into different responses.