The concept of PTSD is not a new one and the diagnostic criteria have changed over the years - Essay Example

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder s Post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) is a mental illness that occurs to people who have experienced frightening and stressful events, such as assault, war, sexual violence, threat of deaths, and terrorism among others (Krippner, Pitchford, & Davies, 2012). There are various ways of diagnosing PSTD. The current criteria of diagnosing PSTD is DSM-IV and with the latest being DSM-V. DSM-IV addressed PSTD as an anxiety disorder. The diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV for PSTD incorporated the exposure history to a distressful event and signs for every of the three symptoms, including intrusive recollections and hyper-arousal symptoms, as well as avoidant symptoms.

DSM-V (2013), which is the latest version, draws a clear distinction when outlining what makes up a traumatic event. Specifically, sexual assault is included. Besides that, DSM-V pays a detailed attention to the behavioural symptoms that often go along with PSTD and suggests four clear diagnostic clusters: re-experiencing, negative cognitions and mood, avoidance, and alterations in arousal or reactivity (Friedman, 2014). The mnemonic model is a causal model in the DSM-IV. It is stimulus response model.

It posits that if there is an event and an immediate reaction to the event, the proximal stimulus of the event as well as the immediate reaction causes symptom response. The theoretical view point further points out that the factors that impact on the manner in which the events memory and emotions are encoded, maintained, and recovered consist of the following: education, gender, intelligence, social support, personality, and individual history of psychiatric disorder. The perceived memory of the event together with its associated reactions usually changes with time and situation (Rubin, Burnsten, & Bohni, 2008).

It can be evidenced that PSTD is diagnosed based on the patient’s memory for the trauma. To that effect, one therapeutic strategy for treating PTSD is altering the memory of the traumatic event.ReferencesFriedman, M. (2014, March 25). PTSD: National Center for PTSD. A brief history of the PTSD diagnosis. Retrieved March 24, 2015, from http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/PTSD-overview/ptsd-overview.aspKrippner, S., Pitchford, D., & Davies, J. (2012). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. New York: ABC-CLIO.Rubin, D., Burnsten, D.

, & Bohni, M. (2008). “A Memory-Based Model of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Evaluating Basic Assumptions Underlying the PTSD Diagnosis.” Psychological Review , 115 (4), 985-1011.