n CME : Your SA Journal of CPD - Management of trauma and PTSD

Abstract

Whereas the majority of trauma survivors recover without clinical sequelae, 10 - 20% of these individuals develop the syndrome of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the USA, the National Comorbidity Survey estimated that between 5% and 9% of the general population suffer from PTSD. In the primary healthcare setting the prevalence of PTSD is estimated to be two to three times higher. The South African Stress and Health Study (SASH) - the first large population-based study of mental disorders in South Africa - found anxiety disorders, as a class, to be the most prevalent 12-month and lifetime disorder, while the 12-month prevalence of PTSD was 2.3%.