Molecular Signatures of Stress and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Overview

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common, disabling, and comorbid disorder that is a leading cause of suicide and substance abuse. It requires exposure to an extreme, life-threatening stress; while the symptoms can be apparent early after trauma, they can also last a lifetime. In addition to being clinically significant and of great public health importance, PTSD also may be important to psychiatry for what it can provide to the field. It is perhaps the only disorder in our nosology where the defining inciting event is known: the trauma exposure.
Source: Biological Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Commentary Source Type: research