Motor vehicle accidents and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

日本でもようやくPTSDの研究が盛んになってきた。しかし米国でも心的外傷の概念をめぐって様々な議論があり，PTSDの定義すら流動的である。PTSDが社会的政治的な問題が絡んでいるためでもある。だからPTSDの研究はPTSD自身を問い直すことともなる。今回我々はPTSDで報告されている発症や経過に影響する因子を交通事故患者の追跡調査で確かめることにした。事例数が少ないこともあり，いくつかの個々の事例も紹介し，考察した。Various studies of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ; PTSD are gradually becoming active in Japan now. But, there are lots of discussions related to concept of PTSD in the U.S.A. It is said that the definition of PTSD is also variable. We examined about PTSD victims following motor vehicle accidents transported to an emergency hospital in Japan. It is suggested that IES-R score is not correlated with Injury Severity Score; ISS, and physical aftereffects of motor vehicle accidents are connected with incidence and prolongation of PTSD. Many problems concerned with their job are great factors about PTSD. We will investigate more PTSD victims from motor vehicle accidents in future