PTSD in Primary Care—An Update on Evidence-based Management

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common in primary care but it is frequently not detected or treated adequately. There is insufficient evidence to recommend universal screening for PTSD in primary care, but clinicians should remain alert to PTSD among patients exposed to trauma, and among those with other psychiatric disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, multiple somatic symptoms and chronic pain. A two-stage process of screening (involving the PC-PTSD), and, for those with a positive screen, a diagnostic evaluation (using the PTSD-Checklist), can detect most patients with PTSD with few false positives. Evidence-based recommendations are provided for treatment in primary care or referral to mental health.