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OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence and comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in an adolescent inpatient population. A 2-year retrospective chart study was conducted. METHOD: Computer-registered data of discharge records from 1993 and 1994 were recovered. Patients were grouped by diagnosis; frequency and chi-square statistical analyses were performed to ascertain the prevalence and the comorbidity of various diagnoses with PTSD. RESULTS: A total of 187 patients, 114 females and 73 males, with a mean age of 15 years were reviewed, and 42% (79) of all patients had a diagnosis of PTSD using DSM-III-R criteria. There were 54 females and 25 males with PTSD; however, gender effect was not clinically significant. Associated comorbidity reaching clinical significance included other anxiety disorders (P = 0.008) and depressive disorders (P = 0.003). Asthma was diagnosed as a significant clinical disorder (P = 0.05) comorbid with PTSD. PTSD diagnoses correlated strongly with a history of abuse (P = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: PTSD occurs frequently in adolescent inpatients and is commonly comorbid with other diagnostic presentations. These findings may affect the management of PTSD and prognosis for this population.
Koltek et al. (Sun,) studied this question.