Is PTSD caused by traumatic stress?
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Biomarkers in an Animal Model for Revealing Neural, Hematologic, and Behavioral Correlates of PTSD
Published on: October 10, 2012
J Alexander Bodkin1, Harrison G Pope, Michael J Detke
1Clinical Psychopharmacology Research Program, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA. abodkin@mclean.harvard.edu
Abstract:
Sequential subjects (N=103) presenting for pharmacologic treatment of major depression were examined prior to treatment for history of traumatic experiences. Subjects were also examined for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Two blinded raters subsequently judged whether subjects' experiences met DSM-IV criteria for trauma (criterion A of PTSD). Among 54 subjects scored by both raters as having experienced trauma, 42 (78%) met all other DSM-IV criteria for PTSD. Among 36 subjects scored by both raters as not having experienced trauma, 28 displayed all other DSM-IV criteria for PTSD--also a rate of 78%. This equivalence suggests that in a treatment-seeking population, caution should be exercised in attributing the PTSD syndrome to trauma.
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