De posttraumatische stressstoornis

Many people experience a potentially traumatic event during their lives, which can result in brief periods of posttraumatic stress symptoms; this is a normal reaction. Most people can deal with a traumatic event when supported by significant others, but 10% of them develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The nature of the traumatic event, the duration of exposure and the age at which one experiences such an event partly determine whether a person will develop PTSD. Psychological debriefing (a single-session consultation) does not prevent the development of PTSD; it is therefore not useful to offer this to everyone who has experienced a traumatic event. New and promising developments have, however, arisen in this regard. Trauma-focused psychotherapy has proved to be effective for patients with PTSD, possibly in combination with medication. Individuals who experience many or severe initial symptoms after a traumatic event may benefit from early, shortterm, trauma-focused psychotherapy for preventing the development of chronic PTSD. Developments pertaining to the DSM-5 pay more attention to 'complex' PTSD, a type which is often the result of long-term traumatisation during childhood.