Geschichte einer politisch unerwünschten Diagnose

TY - JOUR

T1 - Geschichte einer politisch unerwünschten Diagnose

T2 - Die posttraumatische Belastungsstörung

AU - Löwe, Bernd

AU - Henningsen, Peter

AU - Herzog, Wolfgang

PY - 2006/6/28

Y1 - 2006/6/28

N2 - Severe psychological responses to war and violence were already described in Greek antiquity. However, an officially acknowledged diagnosis was introduced only as recently as 1980. This paper describes the historical development of the diagnosis "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder", and investigates why it took so long for the diagnosis to be officially accepted. A first concept goes back to the London Surgeon Eric Erichsen, who in 1866 developed the influential hypotheses that psychological symptoms after railway accidents were caused by a concussion of the spine followed by "molecular changes" in the spinal cord ("railway spine syndrome"). At the same time, Pierre Janet and Sigmund Freud investigated the aetiology of hysteria. In World War I and II, up to 10% of the soldiers were exempted from further service because they suffered from nervous breakdowns caused by the experience of war ("shell shock"). Insights into the psychological long-term effects of Nazi Germany's concentration camps, the political activities of the Vietnam Veterans, and evidence from clinical studies resulted in the introduction of the newly defined diagnosis "Post-traumatic Stress Disorder" into DSM-III in 1980. In the past few years, several aspects of this diagnostic concept were legitimately criticized. Nevertheless, the official introduction of the diagnosis led to the acknowledgement of personal suffering and to the development of specific and efficacious therapies.

AB - Severe psychological responses to war and violence were already described in Greek antiquity. However, an officially acknowledged diagnosis was introduced only as recently as 1980. This paper describes the historical development of the diagnosis "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder", and investigates why it took so long for the diagnosis to be officially accepted. A first concept goes back to the London Surgeon Eric Erichsen, who in 1866 developed the influential hypotheses that psychological symptoms after railway accidents were caused by a concussion of the spine followed by "molecular changes" in the spinal cord ("railway spine syndrome"). At the same time, Pierre Janet and Sigmund Freud investigated the aetiology of hysteria. In World War I and II, up to 10% of the soldiers were exempted from further service because they suffered from nervous breakdowns caused by the experience of war ("shell shock"). Insights into the psychological long-term effects of Nazi Germany's concentration camps, the political activities of the Vietnam Veterans, and evidence from clinical studies resulted in the introduction of the newly defined diagnosis "Post-traumatic Stress Disorder" into DSM-III in 1980. In the past few years, several aspects of this diagnostic concept were legitimately criticized. Nevertheless, the official introduction of the diagnosis led to the acknowledgement of personal suffering and to the development of specific and efficacious therapies.

KW - History, 19th Century

KW - History, 20th Century

KW - Humans

KW - Psychiatric Status Rating Scales

KW - Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

KW - English Abstract

KW - Historical Article

KW - Journal Article

KW - Review

M3 - SCORING: Review

C2 - 16802424

VL - 56

SP - 182

EP - 187

JO - PSYCHOTHER PSYCH MED

JF - PSYCHOTHER PSYCH MED

SN - 0937-2032

IS - 3-4

ER -