Screening for PTSD in public-sector mental health settings: the diagnostic utility of the PTSD checklist.

Grubaugh AL, Elhai JD, Cusack KJ, Wells C, Frueh BC. Screening for PTSD in public-sector mental health settings: the diagnostic utility of the PTSD checklist. Depression and anxiety. 2006 Aug 4; 24(2):124-9.

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Abstract:

There are few available data on how to accurately screen for and assess posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among severely mentally ill adults, a group with high rates of unrecognized trauma and PTSD symptoms. We examined the diagnostic utility of a widely used screening instrument, the PTSD Checklist (PCL), for diagnosing PTSD among 44 traumatized, adult, public-sector mental health patients recruited through a community mental health program. Participants completed the PCL and the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), which is considered the "gold standard" for determining PTSD diagnoses. Data provide preliminary support for the use of the PCL as a screening instrument in public psychiatric settings, indicating that the optimal cut-point for adults with severe mental illness is about 54 (with slightly higher or lower recommended cut-points depending on the clinical context and purpose of the PCL). Such data are critical to ensuring that public-sector mental health patients with trauma-related difficulties are identified and referred for appropriate services.