MEDIA TRIGGERS OF POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS-DISORDER 50 YEARS AFTER THE SECOND-WORLD-WAR

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may present many years after the original trauma. Case studies of two elderly patients are described. Both had experienced life-threatening combat situations and witnessed intense suffering during the Second World War. Marked distress was tri ggered by the media commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the war. PTSD patients often avoid talking of their traumatic exper iences because of associated distress. Without taking a military and t rauma history from elderly patients the diagnosis is likely to be miss ed. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.