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PTSD in History: From Uruk to Baghdad

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Comprehensive Guide to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

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Abstract

The historical evolution of the concept of psychological trauma is relevant to the establishment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a syndrome. Exposure to overwhelming terror can lead to troubling memories, which has been a central theme in the literature since the time of Gilgamesh. The isolated anecdote thus evolved into a clinical entity whose medical and psychiatric complexity underwent large-scale development during and immediately after World War I. The scientific integration of the traumatic stress entity included three main steps: (i) a scientific interest created by clinical anecdotes, (ii) the integration of a syndrome when the observable scientific facts can be reproduced using reliable criteria, and (iii) a pathogenic specificity corroborating the fundamentals of the clinical observation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire du Stress Traumatique/LST (EA 4560); CHU de Toulouse, Hôpital de Psychiatrie, Université de Toulouse; Université Paul Sabatier-Toulouse 3, 330 avenue de Grande-Bretagne, 31059, Cedex 9, Toulouse, France

    Philippe J. Birmes

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, One Bowdoin Square, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Eric Bui

Authors
  1. Philippe J. Birmes
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  2. Eric Bui
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Correspondence to Philippe J. Birmes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Buckinghamshire New University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, United Kingdom

    Colin R. Martin

  2. Kings College, London, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

  3. University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom

    Vinood B. Patel

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Birmes, P.J., Bui, E. (2015). PTSD in History: From Uruk to Baghdad. In: Martin, C., Preedy, V., Patel, V. (eds) Comprehensive Guide to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08613-2_131-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08613-2_131-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-08613-2

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