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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptom, Cause, Treatment
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
- The patient has experienced or witnessed or was confronted with an unusually traumatic event that has both of these elements:
The event involved actual or threatened death or serious physical injury to the patient or to others, and
The patient felt intense fear, horror or helplessness*
- The patient repeatedly relives the event in at least 1 of these ways:
-Intrusive, distressing recollections (thoughts, images)*
-Repeated, distressing dreams*
-Through flashbacks, hallucinations or illusions, acts or feels as if the event were recurring (includes experiences that occur when intoxicated or awakening)*
-Marked mental distress in reaction to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble the event.
-Physiological reactivity (such as rapid heart beat, elevated blood pressure) in response to these cues
- The patient repeatedly avoids the trauma-related stimuli and has numbing of general responsiveness (absent before the traumatic event) as shown by 3 or more of:
-Tries to avoid thoughts, feelings or conversations concerned with the event
-Tries to avoid activities, people or places that recall the event
-Cannot recall an important feature of the event
-Marked loss of interest or participation in activities important to the patient
-Feels detached or isolated from other people
-Restriction in ability to love or feel other strong emotions
-Feels life will be brief or unfulfilled (lack of marriage, job, children)
- At least 2 of the following symptoms of hyperarousal were not present before the traumatic event:
-Insomnia (initial or interval)
-Irritability
-Poor concentration
-Hypervigilance
-Increased startle response
- The above symptoms have lasted longer than one month.
- These symptoms cause clinically important distress or impair work, social or personal functioning.
Specify whether:
Acute. Symptoms have lasted less than 3 months
Chronic. Symptoms have lasted 3 months or longer
Specify if:
With Delayed Onset. The symptoms did not appear until at least 6 months after the event.
In children, response to the traumatic event may be agitation or disorganized behavior. Young children may relive the event through repetitive play, trauma-specific reenactment or nightmares without recognizable content.
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