Women with post-traumatic stress disorder have poorer general health than women with depression alone

Women with post-traumatic stress disorder report greater medical comorbidity and poorer general health than women with depression alone, according to an article in the June 28th issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

According to the article, patients with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder make up about 12 percent of primary care patients, and depression has been linked with poor health, the article states. However, the association between post-traumatic stress disorder and physical illness in women has been poorly understood.

In the current study, Susan M. Frayne, MD, MPH, and her American colleagues compared the number of medical symptoms and overall health status of women with post-traumatic stress disorder (n=4,348; average age, 45.7 years), women with depression alone (n=7,580; average age, 50.2 years), and women with neither psychiatric disorder (n=18,937; average age, 53.2 years).

The researchers found that among women younger than 45 years, 17 percent had a reported history of post-traumatic stress disorder and 25 percent had a reported history of depression. Among women aged 45 to 64 years, 17 percent had post-traumatic stress disorder and 28 percent had depression; among women 65 years or older, 4 percent had post-traumatic stress disorder and 20 percent had depression.

Across all ages, women with post-traumatic stress disorder had more medical conditions and worse physical health status (poor physical functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, pain, low energy) than women with depression alone or women with neither condition.

"Post-traumatic stress disorder is associated with a greater burden of medical illness than is seen with depression alone," wrote the authors. "The presence of post-traumatic stress disorder may account for an important component of the excess medical morbidity and functional status limitations seen in women with depression."


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