Biomarkers of PTSD: Military applications and considerations

Amy Lehrner, Rachel Yehuda

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

47 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Although there are no established biomarkers for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as yet, biological investigations of PTSD have made progress identifying the pathophysiology of PTSD. Given the biological and clinical complexity of PTSD, it is increasingly unlikely that a single biomarker of disease will be identified. Rather, investigations will more likely identify different biomarkers that indicate the presence of clinically significant PTSD symptoms, associate with risk for PTSD following trauma exposure, and predict or identify recovery. While there has been much interest in PTSD biomarkers, there has been less discussion of their potential clinical applications, and of the social, legal, and ethical implications of such biomarkers.

Objective: This article will discuss possible applications of PTSD biomarkers, including the social, legal, and ethical implications of such biomarkers, with an emphasis on military applications.

Method: Literature on applications of PTSD biomarkers and on potential ethical and legal implications will be reviewed.

Results: Biologically informed research findings hold promise for prevention, assessment, treatment planning, and the development of prophylactic and treatment interventions. As with any biological indicator of disorder, there are potentially positive and negative clinical, social, legal, and ethical consequences of using such biomarkers.

Conclusions: Potential clinical applications of PTSD biomarkers hold promise for clinicians, patients, and employers. The search for biomarkers of PTSD should occur in tandem with an interdisciplinary discussion regarding the potential implications of applying biological findings in clinical and employment settings.

Original languageEnglish
JournalEuropean Journal of Psychotraumatology
Volume5
DOIs
StatePublished - 14 Aug 2014

Keywords

  • Biomarkers
  • Clinical utility
  • Ethics
  • Posttraumatic stress disorder
  • Translation

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