Can PTSD Occur with Amnesia for the Precipitating Event?

Abstract

Theoretical accounts of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggest that memory for a precipitating event is crucial for its development. Indeed, Sbordone and Liter (1995) have recently argued that mild traumatic brain injury and PTSD are mutually exclusive disorders. A case is described who sustained a severe head injury in a road traffic accident. He had a retrograde amnesia of two days and a post-traumatic amnesia of four weeks. Six months after his accident he was found to be suffering from a number of anxiety symptoms, including nightmares and intrusive thoughts, consistent with a diagnosis of PTSD. The implications of this case for theories of PTSD are discussed.