[post-traumatic stress disorder in the elderly].

Diagnosis of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) requires a past history of psychic traumatism and characteristic psychotraumatic symptoms like re-experiencing of the traumatic event, avoidance of stimuli associated with the traumatic event and increased arousal. In the elderly, PTSD prevalence rate is about 0.9% after 60 years of age. Clinical features are almost identical to those observed in younger patients. However there are various types of PTSD: PTSD de novo, occurring after exposure to extreme trauma in old age; chronic PTSD when symptoms persist since the time of the trauma; delayed-onset PTSD when patients exhibit signs of the disorder decades after the trauma; complex PTSD, generated by exposure to repeated traumatisms in early development, who could be linked up to changes in personality in older exposed to repeated traumatisms. Pharmacological and psychotherapic interventions used in younger populations can be applied for treatment to older adults, when taking into account the pharmacodynamic and psychic changes associated with aging.