[Expert testimony in post-traumatic stress disorder with pain as the main symptom]

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most relevant disorders of patients with chronic pain, but is often underdiagnosed. This also applies to expert testimony. Further complicating the assessment are the different definitions of PTSD in ICD-10 and DSM-IV; the new DSM-5 has added a further definition. The present review aims to provide guidance for making a valid diagnosis. This forms the basis for a differentiated expert testimony in the different fields of law (e.g., criminal law, statutory or private accident insurance or social security benefits), in which different requirements must be taken into consideration by the expert. The recognition of malingering is described at length, which plays a major role in PTSD expert testimony in all fields of law.