Compared with individuals with lifetime PTSD only, individuals with comorbid PTSD-AD met more PTSD diagnosis criteria, had earlier onset of PTSD, and were more likely to use alcohol and drugs to relieve their PTSD symptoms than those with PTSD only, whereas the duration of their longest episode of PTSD did not differ from those with PTSD only. Individuals with PTSD-AD had higher scores on the SF-12 physical component scale than those with PTSD only, but the two groups did have significant differences in the other scales. By contrast, compared with individuals with lifetime AD only, individuals with comorbid PTSD-AD met more AD diagnosis criteria, had lower scores in all SF-12, whereas their age of onset of AD was similar to those with AD only. In addition, rate of having difficulty in emotion expression and impulsivity was highest among individuals with comorbid PTSD-AD (Table 2).
