Features of PTSD diagnosis in patients with a concussion complicated by addictive and other comorbid psychopathology

Background. During a blast-related traumatic brain injury, the brain sustains a concussion, which has distant consequences in the form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is not always diagnosed, and therefore is not managed timely and effectively. The purpose of the study is to identify specific clinical symptoms of PTSD complicated by addictive and other comorbid pathologies in patients with concussion. Materials and methods. During the study, the clinical symptoms of PTSD were evaluated, and the frequency of its certain clinical manifestations was determined. Results. Thus, in combatants with isolated PTSD, the most frequent manifestations were symptoms of avoidance (88.66 ± 2.58 %), half of patients reported an obsessive behavior (51.33 ± 4.08 %) and excessive excitement (50.66 ± 4.08 %), detachment and numbness were recorded only in a fifth of patients (20.66 ± 3.31 %). Servicemen with a concussion noted the presence of headache — 50.94 %, dizziness — 32.08 %, periodic deterioration of vision — 66.04 %, increased irritability — 20.75 %, nervousness — 30.19 %, apathy — 16.98 % and retardation — 11.32 %. Conclusions. It has been proven that even a slight blast-related traumatic brain injury can lead to persistent damage to the central nervous system, in particular, pronounced autonomic disorders.