Technological Advancements in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Detection: A Survey

It is estimated that 70 percent of adults in the United States have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives and of that, one in five will develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result. Although previously thought of as a condition that affects only military combat veterans, it is a psychological condition that can affect people of all ages. PTSD can lead to depression, suicidal thoughts, and other health issues. Therefore, early diagnosis is key to not only saving lives, but also to returning them to normal. However, PTSD symptoms are often ignored or misdiagnosed. Medical professionals and researchers have sought ways to improve the reliability of traditional PTSD symptom detection and classification methods as well as increase the speed at which diagnosis can be made. Various technologies, including heart rate monitors, electroencephalography (EEG), audio recorders, and eye tracking peripherals are now being used to capture and analyze neurological and physiological data to identify markers for the condition. In this survey, we review and present issues with PTSD diagnosis and methods of symptom detection found in current literature. We evaluate the techniques employed, discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies utilized, and recommend ways in which data collection and analysis could be improved for increased reliability of PTSD diagnosis in the future.