Concentration Camp Survivors

The concentration camp syndrome, as first described following the Nazi Holocaust, represented a catastrophic stress and resulted in a common symptom pattern present in most survivors. These symptoms included marked anxiety, restlessness, startle reaction, sleep disturbances, nightmares, poor concentration, and excessive rumination about the traumatic events. The concentration camp syndrome was never recognized as an official American Psychiatric Association diagnosis but its symptoms are the core of what is now called posttraumatic stress disorder. The symptoms have been found in other concentration camp survivors, such as prisoners of war and the more recent Cambodian concentration camp survivors. The response is the result of extreme stress and indicates that such stress can produce a psychiatric disorder that is severe and persistent in many people. © 2007