Thirteen Cambodian refugees who had survived 2-4 years of concentration
camp experience met the DSM-III criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder.
Their predominant symptoms were avoidance, hyperactive startle reactions,
emotional numbness, intrusive thoughts, and nightmares, which had lasted at
least 3 years after the imprisonment. The patients' avoidance of thoughts
or discussion of the past and the shame they felt about Cambodia's history
made diagnosis and treatment difficult. These findings give cross-cultural
validation to the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder and should
alert clinicians to its existence in a population not previously
studied.Abstract Teaser