It's classified as an anxiety disorder.
Typically affects veterans of war, usually sign of symptoms occur after a traumatic event makes an individual feel helpless, in danger, and/or unable to move on from painful memories.
DSM-IV-TR DIAGNOSIS
"The traumatic event is persistently reexperienced in one (or more) of the following ways:
- 1. recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions. Note: In young children, repetitive play may occur in which
themes or aspects of the trauma are expressed.
- 2. recurrent distressing dreams of the event. Note: In children, there may be frightening dreams without recognizable content.
- 3. acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes, including
those that occur on awakening or when intoxicated). Note: In young children, trauma-specific reenactment may occur.
- 4. intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event
- 5. physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event
Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma)
Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning."
Typically affects veterans of war, usually sign of symptoms occur after a traumatic event makes an individual feel helpless, in danger, and/or unable to move on from painful memories.
- Any traumatic event can trigger PTSD and does not manifest only in soldiers. Can develop from any age. Do not necessarily have to be a participant of the event to experience the effects or initiation of the disorder.
- The time lapse between the event and full penetration of the disorder varies form individual to individual. it may take a few days to a few years.
- this disorder leaves you in psychological shock, unlike normal reactions to traumatic events, you usually are able to reason and process the event and move on. PTSD victims usually feel worse each day and severe effects are triggered by a sight, sound, smell or other object/person that directly reminds them and may have connected to the event.
DSM-IV-TR DIAGNOSIS
"The traumatic event is persistently reexperienced in one (or more) of the following ways:
- 1. recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions. Note: In young children, repetitive play may occur in which
themes or aspects of the trauma are expressed.
- 2. recurrent distressing dreams of the event. Note: In children, there may be frightening dreams without recognizable content.
- 3. acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes, including
those that occur on awakening or when intoxicated). Note: In young children, trauma-specific reenactment may occur.
- 4. intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event
- 5. physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event
Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma)
Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning."