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BackgroundResearch on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relies mainly on self-reports of exposure to trauma and its consequences.AimsTo analyse the consistency of the reporting of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) over time.MethodA community-based cohort, representative of the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, was interviewed at the ages of 34–35 years (in 1993) and 40–41 years (in 1999). A semi-structured diagnostic interview, including a section on PTSD, was administered.ResultsOf the 342 participants who attended both interviews, 169 reported some PTE (1993,n=110; 1999,n=120). In 1999, 56 participants (33.1%) reported for the first time PTEs that actually occurred before 1993, but which had not been reported in the 1993 interview. In total, 68 participants (40.2%) who had reported a PTE in 1993 did not report it in 1999. The overall frequency of inconsistent reporting was 63.9%.ConclusionsThe high level of inconsistency in the reporting of PTEs has implications for therapy as well as for research.

Summary Background Heroin-assisted substitution treatment for severely opioid-dependent drug users has been available in Switzerland since 1994. Our aim was to ascertain the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of this treatment. Methods We did a cohort study in 21 community outpatient treatment centres. We assessed 1969 opioid-dependent drug users, who began heroin-assisted substitution treatment between January, 1994, and December, 2000, to ascertain admission and discharge patterns, and patient characteristics. We also followed up a subset of 237 patients who began treatment between Jan 1, 1994, and March 31, 1995, and who stayed with the programme for at least 18 months. We used questionnaires, interviews, and medical examinations done at entry and after 6, 12, and 18 months to assess somatic and mental health, social integration, and treatment outcomes. Findings More than 70% (1378) of patients remained in treatment for more than a year. Treatment showed positive effects with respect to health and social outcomes. A long stay in treatment was related to a higher chance of starting abstinence-oriented therapy than a short stay. Interpretation Heroin-assisted substitution treatment might be an effective option for chronically addicted patients for whom other treatments have failed.