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Electronic Letters to:
PAPERS:
JAMES SCOTT, DAVID CHANT, GAVIN ANDREWS, GRAHAM MARTIN, and JOHN
McGRATH
Association between trauma exposure and delusional experiences in a large community-based sample
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2007; 190: 339-343 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF] eLetters:
Submit a response to this article
Electronic letters published:
The importance of Combat related Trauma and Psychosis.
Mark Agius, Mimica N , Ivezic S, Oruc L, Martic-Biocina S, Murphy CL , Hrabak-Zerjavic
V, Silobrcic Radic M , Pivac N, Prof. Kozaric-Kovacic D.. (29 May 2007)
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The importance of Combat related Trauma and Psychosis. 29 May 2007
Mark Agius,
Senior Research Fellow
Bedfordshire Centre for Mental Health Research in Association with the University of
Cambridge,
Mimica N , Ivezic S, Oruc L, Martic-Biocina S, Murphy CL , Hrabak-Zerjavic V, Silobrcic
Radic M , Pivac N, Prof. Kozaric-Kovacic D..
Send letter to journal:
Re: The importance of Combat related Trauma and Psychosis.
Email Mark Agius, et al.
Scott et al [2007] have very appropriately brought to our attention the relationship between
Trauma exposure and psychotic illness. In the UK literature, much attention has been paid to one particular form of trauma in relation to psychosis; that of child sexual abuse or rape. Scott has however rightly pointed out that other forms of trauma can have similar effects. We would like to draw attention to the effect of another form of trauma, alas all too common due

to man’s inhumanity to man- that of combat related trauma. Some of us first reported on comorbid PTSD and psychotic symptoms during the wars in Croatia and Bosnia and
Herzegovina.[Ivezic 2000] . Indeed, the Croatian Hospital Discharges Database [Hrabak-
Zerjavic 2005] demonstrated increase of hospitalisations of PTSD and the psychiatric observations have shown a significant proportion of psychotic symptoms in patients with
PTSD after the war in Croatia [Mimica 2005].
Others of us have reported on the utility of atypical anti-psychotics for the treatment of such patients. [Kozaric-Kovacic 2006]. Those of us who work in the UK can bear witness to the difficulty of treating patients with co-morbid Psychosis and PTSD who have come to the UK as refugees from the wars in the Balkans. Much more needs to be established regarding this form of mental illness, including which are the groups of subjects who are most vulnerable to developing a combination of PTSD and Psychosis. We would suggest that the possibility of an developing psychotic illness should be born in mind in the case of those who return to their homes after taking part in present conflict suffering from PTSD symptoms.
References Scott J, Chant D, Andrews G, Martin G, McGrath J .2007 Association between trauma exposure and delusional experiencesin a large community based sample. British
Journal of Psychiatry 190;339-343.
Ivezic S, Bagaric A, Oruc L, Mimica N, Ljubin T 2000. Psychotic symptoms and comorbid psychiatric disorders in Croatian combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder patients. Croat
Med J 41:179-83. Hrabak-Zerjavic V,2005 Silobrcic Radic M.Mental disorders in Croatia-
Croatian Mental Health Registries. 2005 Advancing Practice in Bedfordshire 2;[supplement
2005] 20-23. Mimica N 2005 The Croatian Mental Health Registers- Psychiatrist’s
Observations Advancing Practice in Bedfordshire 2;[supplement 2005] 19- 20. Kozaric-
Kovacic D, Pivac N. 2006 Pharmacotherapy of treatment-resstant combat related posttraumatic stress disorder with psychotic features Croat Med J. 47;440-451
© 2011 The Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Online ISSN: 1472-1465
Print ISSN: 0007-1250