Should Posttraumatic Stress Be a Disorder or a Specifier? Towards Improved Nosology Within the DSM Categorical Classification System.

Purpose Of Review: Since 1980, posttraumatic stress (PTS) disorder has been controversial because of its origin as a social construct, its discriminating trauma definition, and the Procrustean array of symptoms/clusters chosen for inclusion/exclusion. This review summarizes the history of trauma-related nosology and proposed changes, within current categorical models (trauma definitions, symptoms/clusters, subtypes/specifiers, disorders) and new models.

Recent Findings: Considering that trauma is a risk factor for virtually all mental disorders (particularly depressive, anxiety, dissociative, personality), the multi-finality of trauma (some survivors are resilient, and some develop PTS and/or non-PTS symptoms), and the various symptoms that trauma survivors express (mood, cognitive, perceptual, somatic), it is difficult to classify PTS.

DSM-5 Criteria and Its Implications for Diagnosing PTSD in Military Service Members and Veterans.

This review addresses how changes in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) criteria has the potential to affect the care and careers of those who have served in the military, where the diagnosis often determines fitness for duty and veterans' benefits. PTSD criteria changes were intended to integrate new knowledge acquired since previous DSM editions. Many believe the changes will improve diagnosis and treatment, but some worry these could have negative clinical, occupational, and legal consequences.

The Best of Both Worlds: Psychiatry Training at Combined Civilian-Military Programs.

Air Force psychiatry faces the task of training competent military psychiatrists in an era of continuing reductions. Beginning in the 1980s, the Air Force started collaborating with University partners to create hybrid training programs, civilian-military psychiatry residencies. These mergers provide stability for Air Force psychiatry training in the face of increased operational missions and uncertain military recruiting.

Family therapy with a depressed adolescent.

Families can have a significant influence on a child's mental health. Family therapy is a treatment modality that can be used alone or in combination with other treatment modalities. Family therapy strategies include psychodynamic, structural, strategic, and cognitive-behavioral schools.

Caffeine and psychiatric medication interactions: a review.

Caffeine can cause or worsen psychiatric symptoms but also has the potential to interact with many psychiatric medications. This article provides a literature review regarding interactions between caffeine and psychiatric medications. Caffeine is metabolized by the CYP1A2 enzyme and also acts as a competitive inhibitor of this enzyme.

Caffeine and psychiatric symptoms: a review.

Caffeine is a widely used psychoactive substance that has the potential to contribute to many psychiatric symptoms. This review article aims to address the specific research studies and case reports that relate caffeine to psychiatric symptoms. Caffeine can cause anxiety symptoms in normal individuals, especially in vulnerable patients, like those with pre-existing anxiety disorders.