Examining accurate diagnosis of complex PTSD in ICD-11

Abstract

Background
Complex posttraumatic stress disorder (complex PTSD), the most frequently suggested new category for inclusion by mental health professionals, has been included in the Eleventh Revision of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Research has yet to explore whether clinicians' recognition of the distinct complex PTSD symptoms predicts giving the correct diagnosis. The present study sought to determine if international mental health professionals were able to accurately diagnose complex PTSD and identify the shared PTSD features and three essential diagnostic features, specific to complex PTSD.

Methods
Participants were randomly assigned to view two vignettes and tasked with providing a diagnosis (or indicating that no diagnosis was warranted). Participants then answered a series of questions regarding the presence or absence of each of the essential diagnostic features specific to the diagnosis they provided.

Results
Clinicians who recognized the presence or absence of complex PTSD specific features were more likely to arrive at the correct diagnostic conclusion. Complex PTSD specific features were significant predictors while the shared PTSD features were not, indicating that attending to each of the specific symptoms was necessary for diagnostic accuracy of complex PTSD.

Limitations
The use of written case vignettes including only adult patients and a non-representative sample of mental health professionals may limit the generalizability of the results.

Conclusions
Findings support mental health professionals' ability to accurately identify specific features of complex PTSD. Future work should assess whether mental health providers can effectively identify symptoms of complex PTSD in a clinical setting.