Core symptoms of PTSD
Must a person be directly exposed to trauma to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? What are the core symptoms of PTSD?
No, PTSD may develop following direct or indirect (e.g., witnessing or learning about trauma done to others) exposure to traumatic events, defined in the DSM-5 as “actual or threatened death, serious injury .”
The core symptoms of PTSD, which must be present for at least 1 month for the diagnosis, include intrusive memories, nightmares, or dissociations; avoidance of these intrusive experiences or external reminders of the trauma; mood and/or cognition alterations; and hyperarousal symptoms
