Abstract
Supporting Evidence from the DSM and ICD Classifications to Better Understand Traumatic Experiences, PTSD in Law
Highlights
This paper will discuss the recognition of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in legal cases based on the historical development of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM)
‘When an individual who has been exposed to a traumatic event develops anxiety symptoms, reexperiencing the event, and avoidance of stimuli related to the event lasting more than four weeks, they may be suffering from this anxiety disorder.’[193]. Whilst DSM-IV-TR reiterated the contents of PTSD as established by its predecessors, the ongoing research in psychiatric diagnosis and new ways of understanding the aetiological and pathophysiological mechanisms can improve the validity of present diagnoses
The collected data obtained via the experiences of individuals in war and non-war related events were utilised to form a diagnosis, for example PTSD in the DSM and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) documents
Summary
PTSD is defined as the development of characteristic symptoms following exposure to an extreme traumatic event.[16] According to DSM-IV-TR, there are five major symptoms associated to PTSD, namely, a stressor event, re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance behaviour, numbing of general responsiveness and arousal. The individual must experience disturbance and impairment in life as a result of the exposure.[17] in DSM-5, ‘the relocation of PTSD from the anxiety disorders category to a new diagnostic category named “Trauma and Stressor related Disorders”, the elimination of the subjective component to the definition of trauma, the explication and tightening of the definitions of trauma and exposure to it.’.18. Data relevant to the characteristic symptoms was predominantly derived from the American Civil War, World War I and II and the Vietnam War
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