Neurobiology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Suicide

The connection of psychological trauma to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is well established, partly because PTSD is diagnostically conditioned on the experience of a severe trauma. The role of trauma in suicidality, however, continues to be elusive. Furthermore, there is a dearth of studies that systematically examine the association of PTSD with suicide and suicidality. This entry examines common and specific underlying etiological factors for PTSD and suicidality, focusing on neurobiological vulnerability and resilience. For basic epidemi-ologic information on the association of trauma, PTSD, and suicidality, the reader is referred to the entry Suicide.

Numerous risk and protective factors determine the conditional probability of PTSD expression and/or suicidality/suicide outcomes. These factors affect divergent patterns of progression. Biological vulnerability and social/behavioral risk factors are thought to exacerbate ...