Neuropsychological assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that sometimes develops after exposure to a life-threatening, psychologically traumatic event. Reflecting empirical advances relevant to the neurobiology and cognitive neuroscience of PTSD, this chapter will focus on PTSD as a neurobehavioral syndrome. We begin by describing PTSD, including a brief review of its clinical presentation and underlying neuropathology. We next review the neurocognitive characteristics of the disorder, common neuropsychological approaches to its assessment, and key clinical considerations in conducting neuropsychological evaluations when PTSD is a possible diagnosis. The chapter additionally addresses treatment implications, concluding with family and social considerations. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.