by Lindsey Linge

Created on: November 29, 2008

Maybe there are nightmares that just won't go away. Perhaps hearing loud sounds is very startling. Violent movies might be just be a little more scary than for everyone else.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that affects almost eight percent of Americans adults at some point in their lives. Far from being something that is exclusive to veterans returning from war, it can come upon anyone. Witnessing or experiencing abuse, rape, attempted or successful murder, torture, disaster, illness or even a car accident can set in motion the responses that leads to PTSD.

With so many possible causes, it can sometimes be hard to distinguish a normal reaction to something traumatic from full-blown PTSD. It is only after a full month of experiencing symptoms that it can even be diagnosed. A case might be qualified through a clinical interview, which might also be supplemented by an assessment tool. The MMPI, a common psychological test, has a scale that checks for PTSD. There are other tests and scales as well. An official diagnosis can only be made by a qualified professional, but knowing the criteria can help one see potential symptoms that are developing.

The first thing that has to be established in order to diagnose PTSD is to make sure that the person was exposed to a traumatic event. If this criterion is not met, then the person may have another disorder, like depression or another anxiety disorder. The event must be a situation where the person either experienced, witnessed or was confronted with either actual or threatened death/serious injury, or something that threatened the physical integrity of that person or someone else. The response to the experience must involve intense fear, helplessness, or horror. If it is a child that has been affected, disorganized or agitated behavior might be experienced instead.

Next, the traumatic event must be persistently re-experienced. This can happen in a variety of ways. Distressing images, thoughts, or perceptions of the event might intrude in daily life. Recurring and disturbing dreams might plague the person's sleep. Sometimes there might even be a feeling as if the event is happening all over again. Anything that serves as a reminder of the event, whether it be something internal or external, might cause psychological or physiological distress.

In children, the ways that the trauma is re-experienced can differ. They may repetitively engage in play that expresses themes or aspects of the trauma.

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