ABSTRACT
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder defined by the co-occurrence in survivors of extreme adversity reexperiencing avoidance and hyperarousal symptoms.(1) Unlike most other mental disorders, the diagnosis of PTSD relies on associating concurrent symptoms with a previous “traumatic” event. The association is both chronological (symptoms starting after the event) and content related: PTSD reexperiencing and avoidance symptoms involve recollections and reminders of the traumatic event. Individuals who suffer from PTSD continuously and uncontrollably relive the very distressing elements of the traumatic event in the form of intrusive recollection and a sense of permanent threat. They avoid places, situations, and mental states that can evoke such recollections.
