Definition
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that occurs following a traumatic event and is characterized by a complex constellation of reexperiencing, avoidance/numbing, and arousal symptoms.
Discussion
Although the term is often used loosely to describe various manifestations of disaster-related distress, PTSD is actually a highly specific anxiety disorder that is diagnosed according to criteria established by the American Psychiatric Association (1994). Criterion A, the trauma criterion, requires that the individual: (1) has experienced, witnessed, or been confronted with an event that involves actual or threatened death or physical injury and (2) responded to the event with intense fear, helplessness, or horror. Whereas all disasters may be stressful, they may not necessarily be traumatic according to this definition. Criterion B, reexperiencing, requires that the person has experienced recurrent and intrusive recollections of the trauma, distressing...
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Norris, F.H. (2013). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In: Bobrowsky, P.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4399-4_274
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