Please define symptoms of ptsd and how is it treated?

Complex: PTSD is a complex reaction to trauma that results in fear/anxiety in otherwise non-traumatic situations. Treatment would depend on the trauma, the severity of the symptoms, and the history of the individual. Psychotherapy, perhaps including EMDR, is helpful.

See below: PTSD occurs after there has been exposure to death, serious injury , sexual violence or other traumatic event and there are subsequent recurrent involuntary & intrusive memories of the trauma which may be in the form of dreams, flashbacks, physiological reactions and other symptoms. There are various forms of psychotherapy that can treat this condition sometimes with various medications.

Symptom Clusters: In addition, the diagnosis of PTSD requires four sets of symptom clusters. These include: intrusion or re-experiencing, avoidance of people, places, and things associated with the trauma, negative alterations in mood or thought, and hyper-arousal. A number of evidence based treatments are available to treat PTSD, including Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, and EMDR.

Symptom inquiry: The doctor should inquire if the patient has been in a situation where the patient believes loss of life or catastrophic injury was imminent, and with no means of escape. Symptoms from these experiences include, hypervigilance, sleep loss, nightmares, reliving the trauma, social withdrawal, anhedonia, temper outbursts, emotional withdrawal, feelings of unfinished business, and adrenalin seeking.