Diagnostic criteria

• A: Exposure to traumatic stressor, either as victim, perpetrator or witness (one required)
  • Death, threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, actual or threatened sexual violence
• B: Re-experiencing symptoms (one required)
  • Recurrent, involuntary, and intrusive memories, flashbacks, traumatic nightmares, intense or prolonged distress or marked physiologic activity, after exposure to reminders of traumatic event(s)
• C: Avoidance behaviours
  • Persistent effortful avoidance of distressing trauma-related stimuli after the event
• D: Cognitive distortions (two required)
  • Inability to recall key features of the traumatic event, persistent (and often distorted) negative beliefs and expectations about oneself, or the world.
  • Persistent distorted blame of self or others for causing the traumatic event, persistent inability to experience positive emotions
• E: Increased arousal (two required)
  • Irritable or aggressive behaviour, self-destructive or reckless behaviour, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, concentration problems, sleep disturbance
• F: Duration
  • Persistence of symptoms (in B, C, D, E) for more than one month
• G: Functional impairment
  • Significant symptom-related distress or functional impairment (e.g. social, occupational)
• H: Exclusion
  • Disturbance is not due to medication; substance use or other illness

Changes in physical activity following a traumatic event and the development of PTSD