What is Involved in Making a Diagnosis of PTSD?

In order to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a professional will examine and assess a patient's history of symptoms in relation to a traumatic event that individual experienced. The main criteria is to establish whether or not the individual experienced or witnessed a horrifying and traumatic event, such as one that entailed a loved one's death or a severe injury to himself or others. Upon verifying that such an event occurred, professionals must study whether or not the individual frequently recalls and reacts to the event through thoughts, dreams, behavior, and social interaction. If the individual has difficulty performing normal functions, such as sleeping and holding casual conversation, that will also be considered in a diagnosis of PTSD.

Medical professionals often follow the American Psychiatric Association's criteria for the diagnosis of PTSD, which can be found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DMS calls for identifying any stressors, or any traumatic experiences that might have left an individual emotionally and mentally scarred. Perhaps the most well-known PTSD stressor is military combat. Although war is a major cause of PTSD, there are many other possible stressors, such as domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and severe injury.

Once a stressor has been identified, doctors will then examine an individual's thought patterns, behaviors, and sleep cycles for abnormalities. An expert will examine the frequency the individual recollects the traumatic event as well. Recollections might be more than just thoughts: sufferers of PTSD might often see images from the event in their minds. Images could be played out in the mind's eye, or they may be as severe as hallucinations that cause people to literally feel as though they're reliving an event. Such episodes are called dissociative flashbacks.

Behavior and social interaction are another important factor in a diagnosis of PTSD. For example, a doctor may take note that an individual is unable to talk or express feelings about a traumatic event. Those suffering from PTSD might go so far as to avoid any people, objects, or locations that might remind them of a bad event. Individuals can even lose the ability to interact normally with others, mostly keeping to themselves and shunning any kind of social life. Such feelings and behavior can have an adverse impact on one's career and marriage. A professional will observe all such symptoms when making a diagnosis of PTSD.

In making a diagnosis of PTSD, professionals will also examine a person's sleep cycle. Individuals who are unable to get a healthy amount of sleep and who seem as though they're in a hyper-vigilant state—as if on pins and needles—may be displaying symptoms of PTSD. A diagnosis may also take into account other behavioral and cognitive symptoms, such as angry outbursts and poor concentration.