CLINICAL PRESENTATION OF DISORDERS OF EXTREME STRESS IN COMBAT VETERANS

Disorders of extreme stress (DES), previously referred to as disorders of extreme stress not otherwise specified and/or complex posttraumati c stress disorder, is a proposed diagnosis designed to describe the sy mptom presentation of those repeatedly exposed to traumatic stressors. Little is known, however, about the applicability of DES to combat ve terans. We clinically assessed combat veterans for the presence or abs ence of DES in order to provide descriptive clinical information about the severity and patterns of endorsement of DES symptoms among combat veterans. Results indicate that DES is relevant to veterans and the i mplications of these results for both diagnoses and treatment are disc ussed.