PERSISTING MENTAL SEQUELAE OF HARASSMENT BECAUSE OF AN APPLICATION TO LEAVE THE GDR

Abstract

In an exploratory study we examined 40 patients, who had been exposed to harassment in the GDR because of an official application to leave and who suffered from persisting mental sequelae of that experience. On an average more than six years after termination of the stress situation in the GDR, patients showed a moderate anxious-depressive syndrome and vegetative complaints. Diagnostic classification varied; depressive disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, somatoform and anxiety disorders were most often diagnosed. 45 % of the patients stated that the symptoms were not mainly due to experiences during repression, and 43 % saw a mainly positive effect of that experience on their life. The relevance of the findings is discussed briefly.