Discovery may lead to better treatment for patients.
Neurobiological and clinical research has now shown that Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has two subtypes. This research was released in the American Journal of Psychiatry today. This finding suggests that treatments should be targeted to a patient’s specific subtype in order to achieve the best possible clinical outcomes.
Posttraumatic stress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to an event that results in psychological trauma. PTSD is a common psychiatric disorder in Canada.
Dr. Ruth Lanius, researcher at Lawson and psychiatrist at London Health Sciences Centre, led this research study. Her work provides evidence that PTSD has two subtypes: dissociative and nondissociative. Each type is associated with distinct patterns of brain response during exposure to reminders of traumatic events.
“Up until now, patients with both types of PTSD have been treated the same. These findings suggest that we need to take into consideration the subtype of PTSD when assessing and treating patients with PTSD,” comments Dr. Lanius, an associate professor and the Harris- Woodman Chair in Psyche and Soma at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario. “We hope that further functional neuroimaging research will help us to determine the best treatments for patients”.
Dissociative PTSD patients exhibit abnormally high activation in brain regions that inhibit the fear and other emotional centers of the brain. These patients often become detached from their emotions and have out of body experiences. In contrast, nondissociative PTSD patients exhibit abnormally low activation in these areas of the brain and often experience “flashbacks” during which they relive the fear and horror they experienced at the time the traumatic event occurred.
"This research is crucial for the treatment of the millions of people worldwide, who are diagnosed with PTSD each and every year" says Ute Lawrence, who was diagnosed with acute PTSD after being in the midst of one of the most horrific car pile ups in Canadian history. “It will mean that treatment will be tailored to patients, which can only result in better outcomes.”
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