PTSD will continue to be a condition with three
clusters of symptoms while Complex PTSD will
include these clusters plus three additional
ones (see table).
Thanos says: “At Edinburgh Napier, we did the
first study in the world of Complex PTSD using
standardised measures. In our sample,
76 per cent had Complex PTSD and 24 per cent
had PTSD. So Complex PTSD is far more
common in any trauma population than PTSD
in treatment-seeking populations.”
Thanos now hopes to take forward these
core principles to create appropriate clinical
interventions and models of care to improve
the current situation which sees half of sufferers
drop out of treatment and only 40 per cent
of the remainder make a full recovery.
“I’m interested in models of care. I think that
we need to change the way we are thinking
about how we help people. Most people
need ongoing support – they have a number
of issues, not necessarily just mental health
or physical health. There are social problems,
interpersonal problems and so on.
The treatment of Complex PTSD sits very
highly on my own personal research agenda.”
Employability
WORKING
WITH DEMENTIA
Are employers supporting
employees with the condition?
I
t is estimated that 90,000 people in Scotland have
dementia and this is set to rise. Most common in people
over 65 years, it can also affect working age people.
With the statutory retirement age rising, the impact
of dementia on the workplace could be considerable.
Existing research suggests that while many working
age people with dementia are still in employment, they
are often on sick leave, given early retirement or made
redundant when they receive their diagnosis.
Dr Valerie Egdell of the E mployment Research Institute
says: “People with dementia often remain very capable and
may be able to continue working for some time following
a diagnosis. We need to find out whether employers
understand that they have a legal duty to make reasonable
adjustments to support employees with dementia under
the Equality Act 2010.
“We did the fi rst study
in the world of
Complex PTSD using
standardised measures.”
“If an individual is forced to stop working this can have
considerable implications in terms of their dignity and
self-esteem, and can put massive financial pressures
on their families.”
PROFESSOR THANOS KARATZIAS
ICD-11 PTSD ICD-11 C-PTSD
Re-experience Re-experience
Avoidance Avoidance
Hyperarousal Hyperarousal
The research is funded by the Carnegie Trust.
The Edinburgh Napier team (Professor Jill Stavert
(principal investigator), Dr Valerie Egdell and Mandy Cook)
are working with colleagues from the University
of the West of Scotland and Heriot-Watt University.
Emotional
dysregulation
Interpersonal
difficulties
Pervasive low
self-esteem
Find out more on these stories at
www.napier.ac.uk/impact
Karatzias et al. (2016) Journal of Affective Disorders
13