Richmond et al developed a screening instrument for identifying a patient at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression after injury. This can help to identify a patient who may benefit from more aggressive management. The authors are from the University of Pennsylvania, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, University of Windsor and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Patient selection: traumatic injury
Timing of assessment: around 1 week after the injury
Outcome: PTSD or depression within 6 months
Questions for depression:
(1) any time in life (when you felt down or hopeless or when you lost all interest in things that you usually enjoyed) for more than 2 weeks
(2) staying away from people since the injury (even those usually close to)
(3) worried about money because of what happened since the injury
(4) worried because of trouble keeping your mind on things since the injury
Each question is scored 0 if No or 1 if Yes.
total score for depression =
= SUM(points for all 4 questions)
Questions for PTSD:
(1) feelings of being helpless when injured or soon after
(2) things seemed unreal or like in a dream or moving in slow motion when injured or soon after
(3) want to stay away from things that remind you of what happened
(4) worried because of trouble keeping your mind on things since the injury
(5) someone has responded badly when you told them what happened
Each question is scored 0 if No or 1 if Yes.
total score for PTSD =
= SUM(points for all 5 questions)
Interpretation:
• minimum scores: 0
• maximum score for depression: 4
• maximum score for PTSD: 5
• A score >=2 is a positive screen for risk of depression.
• A score >=3 is a positive screen for risk of PTSD.
