Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat. In DSM-IV (1994), PTSD was classified as an anxiety disorder. DSM-5 (2013) has moved PTSD out of the anxiety disorders section into a newly created section, “Trauma- and stressor- related disorders.”