Post-traumatic stress disorder as a comorbidity: impact on disease outcomes

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with many psychiatric and nonpsychiatric comorbidities. Growing evidence suggests that PTSD as a comorbidity may impair drug adherence, quality of life and sleep quality, as well as increase rehospitalization rates, disease relapses, intensity of symptoms, morbidity and mortality. The aim of this article is to examine the literature regarding the effects of PTSD comorbidity on physical and mental health.

Keywords::

• comorbidity
• outcome
• physical illness
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• psychiatric disorder

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This project was partially supported by the National Council of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq): [474869/2010-5] – Edital Universal MCT/CNPq 14/2010. P Cavalcanti-Ribeiro, M Andrade-Nascimento, GM Medeiros, M Morais-de-Jesus, R Daltro-Oliveira and JO Conceição performed the data collection and contributed to the writing of the first draft of the manuscript. A Miranda-Scippa and KC Koenen contributed to the writing of the first draft of the manuscript. LC Quarantini performed the data collection and contributed to the writing of the first draft of the manuscript. All authors contributed to and approved the final manuscript. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.