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Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders in Women

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Women's Mental Health

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Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder (ASD) are the most frequent diagnosis in the Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders chapter of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th Edition (DSM-5). The present chapter focuses on ASD and PTSD including background, psycho- and physiopathology, diagnosis, and treatment. Women are more likely to develop PTSD than men and the most frequent events reported in surveys to be related to the start of symptomatology are sexual abuse (before the age of 18), and intimate partner violence. Rape is strongly related to the development of PTSD; studies show rates around 40–50% of women developing PTSD after sexual assault. Besides, there are traumatic events specifically related to women, like breast cancer and traumatic delivery that can trigger PTSD symptoms. Given the fact that women usually look for treatment in general practitioner’s services and/or gynecological-related services, it is extremely important that the professionals working at these settings learn to recognize PTSD symptomatology and refer these women to proper treatment.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry of the Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Andrea Feijó de Mello, Mariana Rangel Maciel, Sara Motta Borges Bottino, José Paulo Fiks & Marcelo Feijó de Mello

Authors
  1. Andrea Feijó de Mello
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  2. Mariana Rangel Maciel
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  3. Sara Motta Borges Bottino
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  4. José Paulo Fiks
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  5. Marcelo Feijó de Mello
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Joel Rennó Jr.

  2. Women’s Mental Health Clinic, Incestuous Families Treatment Clinic of Clinica’s Hospital, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Gislene Valadares

  3. Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

    Amaury Cantilino

  4. Brazilian Association of Psychiatry, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Jeronimo Mendes-Ribeiro

  5. Private Practice, São Lucas Medical Institute Criciúma, Santa Catarina, Brazil

    Renan Rocha

  6. Brazilian Association of Psychiatry (ABP), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Antonio Geraldo da Silva

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de Mello, A.F., Maciel, M.R., Bottino, S.M.B., Fiks, J.P., de Mello, M.F. (2020). Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders in Women. In: Rennó Jr., J., Valadares, G., Cantilino, A., Mendes-Ribeiro, J., Rocha, R., Geraldo da Silva, A. (eds) Women's Mental Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29081-8_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29081-8_11

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-29081-8

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