Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

•  Long lasting anxiety or memories about a severe traumatic event, including nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, avoidance of reminders
• Diagnostic criteria: 

1. Actual or threatened severely traumatic event where the response was intense fear, helplessness or horror 
2. Event is persistently re-experienced: recollections, dreams, distress to cues of an aspect of the event 
3. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma (triggers) and numbing of general responsiveness (eg ¯interest in activities, detachment, etc) 
4. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (eg difficulty sleeping, irritability, ¯concentration, hypervigilance) 
5. Duration of > 1 month
6. Causes significant distress or impairment in social/occupational function

• Types:

1. Acute: duration of symptoms < 3 months
2. Chronic: duration of symptoms > 3 months
3. Delayed onset: onset > 6 months after stressor

• Differential: OCD, Acute stress disorder (resolves within 4 weeks), adjustment disorder, psychotic disorders, malingering