Involuntary admission and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in schizophrenia patients

In a sample of 105 community-care patients suffering from schizophrenia, the relationship between reports of involuntary admission in the past, current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and other aspects of psychopathology was examined. PTSD symptoms were obtained on the PTSD interview, and psychopathology was rated on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and on the Present State Examination (PSE). Fifty-seven percent of the patients reported they had experienced involuntary admissions in the past. The degree of PTSD symptoms was high--51% fulfilled the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. PTSD symptoms were not correlated with reports of involuntary admissions. They were, however, significantly correlated with the BPRS subscale anxiety/depression, and with PSE subscores for specific and nonspecific neurotic syndromes. Because of an overlap of symptom scores, a diagnosis of PTSD according to DSM criteria appears to be very difficult in schizophrenia patients.