Karam and associates examined the results of interviews conducted in 21 countries
and found that almost every subject who experiences a potentially traumatic event
and met other criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) also met the A2 criterion
of the experience of intense fear and helplessness at the time of the traumatic event
(
1
). On this basis they argue that the A2 criterion could be dropped, with the effect
of simplifying DSM-V criteria. Although we agree that the A2 criterion is largely
redundant, we do not believe that dropping the A2 criterion will make PTSD a more
reliable and less controversial diagnosis.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Biological PsychiatryAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- The role of criterion A2 in the DSM-IV diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder.Biol Psychiatry. 2010; 68: 465-473
- Problems with the post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis and its future in DSM V.Br J Psychiatry. 2008; 192: 3-4
- V Chief Constable of South Yorkshire police 1 AC 310.1992
- Pseudo-PTSD.J Anxiety Disord. 2007; 21: 201-210
- Predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder and symptoms in adults: A meta-analysis.Psychol Bull. 2003; 129: 52-73
- Improving the reliability of the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder in civil litigation.Psychiatry, Psychology and Law. 2010; 17: 79-87
- Factors associated with agreement between experts in evidence about psychiatric injury.J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 2008; 36: 515-521
- The reliability of evidence about psychiatric diagnosis after serious crime part I: Agreement between experts.J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 2010; 38: 516-523
- The reliability of evidence about psychiatric diagnosis after serious crime part II: Agreement between experts and treating practitioners.J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 2010; 38: 524-530
Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 25, 2011
Footnotes
The authors report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.
Please also see associated correspondence, doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.12.007.
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
ScienceDirect
Access this article on ScienceDirectLinked Article
- The Role of Criterion A2 in the DSM-IV Diagnosis of Posttraumatic Stress DisorderBiological PsychiatryVol. 68Issue 5
- Reply to: Removing the A2 Criteria Will Not Rescue Posttraumatic Stress DisorderBiological PsychiatryVol. 70Issue 5
