SUICIDAL-BEHAVIOR AFTER SEVERE TRAUMA - PART 1 - PTSD DIAGNOSES, PSYCHIATRIC COMORBIDITY, AND ASSESSMENTS OF SUICIDAL-BEHAVIOR

The study comprises 149 refugees from various countries, reporting exp osure to severe traumata, who were referred for psychiatric diagnosis and assessment of suicide risk, The stressors reported comprised both personal experience of and/or forced witnessing of combat atrocities ( including explosions or missile impacts in ur ban areas), imprisonment (including isolation), torture and inflicted pain, sexual violence, w itnessing others' suicide, and of summary and/or mock executions. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was diagnosed in 79% of all cases, ot her psychiatric illness in 16% and no mental pathology in 5%. The prev alence of suicidal behavior was significantly greater among refugees w ith principal PTSD diagnoses than among the remainder PTSD patients wi th depression comorbidity reported higher frequency of suicidal though ts; PTSD nondepressive patients manifested increased frequency of suic ide attempts.