Handbook on the State of the Art in Applied Psychology

CHAPTER 8Cardiac‐Disease‐Induced‐PTSD: Settling the Diagnostic Debate

Noa Vilchinsky

Department of Psychology, Associate Professor of Psychology, Bar‐Ilan University, Ramat‐Gan, Israel

Abstract

Post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been defined as an extreme emotional reaction to stressors such as atrocities carried out by human beings or natural disasters. In recent years, the idea that illnesses as well might be regarded as causes of PTSD has received a great deal of scientific attention. However, the distinctive way in which PTSD stemming from medical origins might manifest itself is very much up for debate. In the current chapter, I suggest that cardiac‐disease‐induced‐PTSD (CDI‐PTSD) is in fact a valid diagnostic entity. At the same time, taking into account Edmundson’s Enduring Somatic Threat Model of PTSD (Edmondson, 2014), I highlight the unique manifestations of CDI‐PTSD symptoms and the differences found between those symptoms and the ones that emerge in more “traditional” forms of PTSD. Finally, I shed light on the urgent need for more studies exploring CDI‐PTSD among cardiac patients’ family members. I conclude by focusing on the critical lack of evidence‐based psychological interventions for people coping with CDI‐PTSD.

Keywords

post‐traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, cardiac‐induced PTSD

PTSD: Clarifying the Diagnostic Debate

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) defines post‐traumatic ...