What is PTSD? Diagnosing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

What is PTSD? Diagnosing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

This video provides an overview of the DSM-5 criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. Each of the 8 criteria are discussed and simplified by Dr. Scott Giacomucci in this video meant to help educate students, professionals, and trauma survivors. PTSD is much more common than you might think and can even be thought of as normal responses to abnormal situations. One of every four adults, and one of every two children, that experience a traumatic event will develop PTSD symptoms.

PTSD is perhaps the least pathologizing diagnosis in the DSM as it is more focused on what happened to you than something being wrong with you. In many ways, PTSD is simply the content from the past experience (thoughts, feelings, sensations, images, etc.) resurfacing in the present moment.

For a complete description of the PTSD Diagnostic Criteria, see the DSM-5. Here are the 8 diagnostic criteria with the four symptom clusters in bold:
1. Traumatic Experience
2. Intrusions & Re-Experiencing
3. Avoidance
4. Negative Changes in Moods & Cognitions
5. Arousal & Reactivity
6. Symptoms must last for 1 month
7. Symptoms cause significant impairment/distress
8. Symptoms not due to other causes

Free access to the PTSD PCL-5 Checklist, which is a very useful self-assessment tool for PTSD - https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/...

More info and a free pdf handout on PTSD here - https://www.phoenixtraumacenter.com/t...

Dr. Scott's free eBook here - https://rd.springer.com/book/10.1007/...

Note: If you think you have PTSD, please see a professional who can fully assess and work with you.

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