P03-276 - Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder in the severe mental illness: clinical implications

Introduction In some different studies, a high prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been found in patients with several mental illness (SMI): schizophrenia, schizoaffective and bipolar disorder. Aims Evaluate the prevalence and correlates of PTSD in a sample of patients with SMI. Methods Adult patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar I disorder were enrolled. Patients who score 3 or more in conceptual disorganisation, hallucinations and/or unusual contents of thinking and 4 in another item of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) were excluded. Interventions Sociodemographic data Traumatic Live Events Questionnarie. Kubany ang Hayne, 2001. Distressing Event Questionnaire. Kubany anb Haynes, 2001, related to PTSD diagnostic DSM-IV criteria. Results 102 patients were included. The diagnostic subgrup of SMI patients were: 40 bipolar disorder, 52 schizophrenia and 10 schizoaffective desorder. The prevalence of PTSD was found in 15.1%: Criterion B (reexperiencing) 34.4%, Criterion C (avoindance and numbing) 27.1%, Criterion D (hyperarousal) 27.1%. The PTSD was more prevalent in females: 21.7% versus 8.5% (p 0.074). Only in criterium of hyperarousal the differences of gender were significatives (p 0.02). There were no significative differences in dignostic subgrups (p 0.381). Patients with PTSD had some suicide attempt history in 64.3% versus in 35.7% the patients without PTSD (p 0.042). Conclusions The comorbidity of PTSD in SMI was found in a fifteen percent, and only three patients had been diagnostiqued. PTSD is significantly related to history of suicide attempts in patients with SMI.