PTSDpubs Database

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PTSDpubs database (formerly PILOTS – Published International Literature On Traumatic Stress) is a “freely available, online database providing access to the worldwide literature on PTSD and other mental health consequences of exposure to traumatic events.” It’s produced by the National Center for PTSD and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, however, it’s not limited to literature on PTSD among Veterans, but is a more extensive PTSD resource.

The database is a free resource that is powered by the ProQuest database platform and is updated monthly. “Its goal is to include citations to all literature on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental-health sequelae of traumatic events, without disciplinary, linguistic, or geographical limitations, and to offer both current and retrospective coverage.”

From the PTSDpubs website:

PTSDpubs has unique features that set it apart from other databases. PTSDpubs offers:

  • A custom PTSD and trauma focused thesaurus to help you create a precise search. PTSDpubs’ unique thesaurus includes specific PTSD symptoms, like hypervigilance, as well as terms such as PTSD DSM-5 and PTSD (ICD-11) to help you search by diagnostic criteria.
  • A detailed listing of tests and measures. Each PTSDpubs record lists all instruments used within the publication, and you can limit your search to a specific test or measure.
  • A comprehensive range of publication types, including journal articles, books, reports, newsletters, and dissertations.
  • Cross-disciplinary coverage of all publications relevant to PTSD. PTSDpubs does not limit its coverage to selected journals, and tries to include all relevant articles.

Subject coverage details as provided by the ProQuest database specifications:

Subject Coverage

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder (with or without reference to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).
  • The assessment, description, prevention, or treatment of any psychiatric disorder, especially dissociative identity disorder (formerly called multiple personality disorder), other dissociative disorders, or borderline personality disorder, associated etiologically or epidemiologically with exposure to a traumatic event, or to an event experienced as traumatic by the population under discussion.
  • The preparation or provision of mental health services to a traumatized population or a population at risk of experiencing traumatic events.
  • Issues of professional ethics, scientific methodology, or public policy relating to traumatized populations.

PTSDpubs can be access via the MSK Library’s Databases A-Z list. If you have any questions about this or any other database resources, please feel free to AskUs!