Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

[Juan and Yenan]

Diagnostic Features:

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a condition characterized by intense fear, helplessness, or horror (or disorganized or agitated behavior in children) resulting from the exposure to extreme trauma. The characteristic symptoms include persistent reexperiencing of the traumatic event, persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness, and persistent symptoms of increased autonomic arousal. The full symptom picture must be present for more than 1 month, and the disturbance must cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.