PTSD

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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) under the section titled Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders (DSM) and Disorders specifically associated with stress (ICD). It forms from exposure to an event which the brain perceives as threatening and traumatic. PTSD is characterized by recurring, involuntary, and intrusive thoughts, dreams, dissociative reactions (such as flashbacks), psychological distress, and marked physiological reactions when reminded of the traumatic event.

Other characteristics include avoidance, negative symptoms (lack of memory of the event; persistent and exaggerated negative beliefs about oneself, others, or the world; persistent negative emotional state, such as fear, anger, guilt, or shame; etc.), hypervigilance, and exaggerated startle response.

When considering if an individual has PTSD, psychologists have several differential diagnoses which they must rule out, among these being dissociative amnesia, dissociative identity disorder, depersonalization-derealization disorder, and personality disorders.

C-PTSD
Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) refers to repetitive exposure to traumatic events, whereas PTSD is then used to refer to a single experience of exposure to the traumatic event. It is associated with additional symptoms, which (frequently) include dissociation.

History
PTSD was first added to the third edition of the DSM in 1980. Twelve years later (1992), it was also added to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), where it is classified under disorders specifically associated with stress.