PTSD and comorbid psychotic disorder: Comparison with veterans diagnosed with PTSD or psychotic disorder

Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychosis, general psycho pathology, role functioning, violence potential, and cognitive and emotiona l aspects of psychotic states were compared in three groups of veterans. Gr oups were defined on the basis of their DSM-IV diagnoses: Psychotic disorde r and war-related PTSD, war-related PTSD without psychotic symptoms, and ps ychotic disorder without PTSD. Veterans with PTSD and a comorbid psychotic disorder showed significantly higher levels of positive symptoms of psychos is, general psychopathology, paranoia, and violent thoughts, feelings, and behaviors than the other two groups. These data show that patients with com orbid PTSD and psychotic disorder show levels of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral disturbance that far exceed the levels of disturbance seen in pa tients with PTSD without psychosis or in patients with psychotic disorder.