Posttraumatic stress disorder among survivors of Cambodian concentration camps

Abstract

Cambodian refugees (13) who had survived 2-4 yr of concentration camp experience met the DSM-III [Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, III] criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder. Their predominant symptoms were avoidance, hyperactive startle reactions, emotional numbness, intrusive thoughts and nightmares, which had lasted at least 3 yr after the imprisonment. The patients'' avoidance of thoughts or discussion of the past and the shame they felt about Cambodia''s history made diagnosis and treatment difficult. These findings give cross-cultural validation to the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder and should alert clinicians to its existence in a population not previously studied.