How best to treat post-traumatic stress disorder

摘要

The current diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) define the traumatic event coupled with three major symptom clusters. The traumatic stress (criterion A) notes that the person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which they witnessed or experienced an event that involved actual or threatened death or injury, or a threat to their physical integrity. The individual's response to the event involves intense fear, helplessness or horror. The re-expefiencing symptoms (criterion B) characterize ways in which the individual relives the event and are considered the unique and defining symptoms of the disorder. Examples of these symptoms include nightmares, intrusive recollections or flashbacks.