Posttraumatic stress disorder-PTSD

[Hosam Hawamdeh]

Posttraumatic stress disorde(post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anxiety_disorder) that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_trauma).[/URL]This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posttraumatic_stress_disorder#cite_note-DSM4-0"] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posttraumatic_stress_disorder#cite_note-surgeon42-2) overwhelming the individual's ability to cope (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coping_%28psychology%29). As an effect of psychological trauma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_trauma), PTSD is less frequent and more enduring than the more commonly seen acute stress response (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_stress_reaction).

Diagnostic symptoms for PTSD include re-experiencing the original trauma(s) through flashbacks or nightmares, avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, and increased arousal - such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, anger, and hypervigilance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervigilance). Formal diagnostic criteria (both DSM-IV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSM-IV) and ICD-9 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Statistical_Classification_of_Diseas es_and_Related_Health_Problems)) require that the symptoms last more than one month and cause significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posttraumatic_stress_disorder#cite_note-DSM4-0)