Table 2 DSM-IV definition of post-traumatic stress disorder

Definition of post-traumatic stress disorder^a

A potentially debilitating psychiatric condition that develops as the result of being exposed to a traumatic occurrence 'in which a person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others' and which generates 'intense feelings of fear, helplessness, or horror' in those exposed to the trauma. This condition is characterized by a constellation of symptoms in three domains:

A. Symptoms of re-experiencing (for example, intrusive thoughts and upsetting recollections of the trauma, recurrent dreams or nightmares, and flashbacks).

B. Symptoms of avoidance and emotional numbing (for example, efforts to avoid conversations, places, and thoughts associated with the trauma; detachment from others; and a restricted range of affect).

C. Symptoms of increase arousal (for example, sleep disruption, hypervigilance, and exaggerated startle response).

These symptoms must meet two criteria to satisfy diagnostic criteria:

1. Symptoms must cause significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important functional domains.

2. Symptoms must be present for at least 1 month after exposure to the traumatic event or events.