Older Germans, suffering WWII trauma

Study: Older Germans, suffering WWII trauma, register high instances of PTSD

© AP
2008-05-19 15:43:50 -


LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) - A new study presented Monday by German and Swiss researchers shows that older Germans who survived World War II traumas are now manifesting high instances of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Andreas Maercker, of the University of Zurich, and Leipzig University colleague Elmar Braehler surveyed 2,400 men and women of all age groups and extrapolated that 2.3 percent of all Germans, or around 1.8 million people, were affected by some sort of serious trauma.

While studies of post-traumatic stress disorder in other countries _ such as the United States, Canada, Australia and Mexico _ have shown that older people tend to have lower instances of the disorder, the German study showed the opposite, they said.

"To our surprise, PTSD among the 60-to 95-year-olds is three times as high as in the younger age groups," Maercker told reporters.

Almost all the older Germans who reported suffering from symptoms of PTSD had been affected by a traumatic wartime experience, Braehler said. The study was funded by the medical faculty of Leipzig University.

"Those affected talked about suffering panic attacks if they hear a fire truck responding to an emergency because they lived through aerial bomb attacks as small children" Braehler said.

Maercker said many of those affected told them "the pictures come back" of terrible traumas, like the loss of siblings or schoolmates, and are often accompanied by feelings of guilt. The symptoms have often been falsely diagnosed as depression, he said.

Often the effects of the trauma do not appear until after retirement, when people have been able to take stock of their lives, Braehler said.
"Then the PTSD sets in," he said.

http://www.pr-inside.com/study-older-germans-suffering-wwii-r596400.htm