Note: this diagnostic criterion is only applicable to adults, adolescents, and children that are older than six years.
A. Disclosures to real or vulnerable demise, significant injury, or sexual abuse in one (or more) of such ways.
- Directly exposed to the event.
- Seeing the event as it occurs to the other individual.
- Witnessing someone’s close death or some serious threat.
- Experiencing some serious apathetic features of the traumatic event including the first respondent to the human body remains or continuously investigating or asking you to remember the detail of that event.
B. Existing of one or more of the following invasion symptoms linked with traumatic events, onset after the traumatic event occurred:
- Repetitive, persistent, automatic, and invasive disturbing memories of the traumatic event.
- Having dreams where the content of the dream is related to that event.
- Having dissociative responses such as flashbacks in which the person acts in a way as if the traumatic event were reappeared. These reactions could be so severe that the person loses his sense of reality and awareness of his current surroundings.
4. Extreme and extended psychological disturbance at manifestation to the outer or inner indications that look similar to the details of the traumatic events.
5. Experiencing bodily reactions (external or internal) that looks similar to the traumatic event.
C. Consistently avoidance of the stimulant that is linked with the traumatic event, the presence of either one or both.
- Make an effort to avoid disturbing memories, details, feelings, or even thoughts related to that traumatic event.
- Trying deliberately to avoid the external indicators that make them recall the traumatic event. It can be anything like people, places, discussions, tasks, or any other specific thing.
D. Negative change or effect on the thought process or mood that gets worsens with the beginning of the traumatic event, as authentication by at least two or more of the following.
- Not able to recall the significant details of the traumatic event (it can be called dissociative amnesia).
- Consistently engaging themselves in pessimistic beliefs such as self-blaming, feeling of insecurity, inferiority, and guilt.
- Persistent indulging one’s own self in negative emotions such as fear, horror, etc.
- Observable lessens interest or involvement in significant activities.
- Feeling of distance or disaffection from others.
- Continuously unable to experience positive emotions like happiness, affection, etc.
E. Noticeable change in reaction, reactivity, and incitement after experiencing the traumatic event:
- Anger blowups (with small or no instigation) mostly expressed verbal or physical aggression towards others.
- Indulged in self-injurious behavior.
- Always keep himself alert.
- Difficulty speaking fluently like startling.
- Problem in paying attention.
- Sleeping issues (difficulty in falling asleep, or uneasy sleep).
F. All these mentioned symptoms must last longer than one month.
G. Above mentioned symptoms cause a significant disturbance in the daily living of the person.
H. These symptoms should not be explained by any other substance use.