A memory-based model of posttraumatic stress disorder: evaluating basic assumptions underlying the PTSD diagnosis

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria for PTSD focus on event-based etiology.
• Existing theoretical accounts often neglect reliable findings inconsistent with the event-based view.

Purpose of the Study:

• Propose an alternative mnemonic model for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Explain findings inconsistent with current PTSD diagnostic criteria using a memory-centric approach.

Main Methods:

• Review and re-interpret existing research findings on PTSD.
• Contrast the mnemonic model with the current event-based etiology of PTSD.

Main Results:

• The mnemonic model accounts for biases in retrospective trauma memory reports.
• It explains how non-diagnostic traumatic events can lead to PTSD symptoms.
• Predisposing factors influencing memory significantly impact PTSD symptom severity.

Conclusions:

• The mnemonic model offers a more parsimonious explanation for PTSD.
• It suggests that understanding memory processes is key to understanding PTSD.
• Special mechanisms for traumatic memories may not be necessary.