What exactly is the DSM-5?
And, what does the DSM-5 have to do with PTSD?
Technically the DSM-5 is the fifth edition of the “The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” published in 2013 by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
But in simple terms the DSM-5 is a book. It is the most up-to-date criteria for diagnosing PTSD and other mental disorders.
The DSM-5 is essentially the handbook that healthcare professionals use to diagnose Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
It outlines PTSD symptoms along with other descriptions and criteria. Basically, it gives the world a framework to communicate, create treatments, and understand what people suffering with PTSD are experiencing.
The DSM-5’s only for diagnosing mental illnesses, it does not have any information about how those illnesses can or should be treated.
And, according to the APA, an estimated $25 million was spent on developing the DSM-5 based on evidence-based research. A lot of time, effort, and money has been poured into creating this framework, and it does a pretty good job at defining what PTSD is.
Now, you’re probably wondering…
What are the official DSM-5 PTSD symptoms?
And, how can I find out if I, or someone I know, has PTSD?
To answer that, I’ve created a simple PTSD symptom checklist for you.
There are 5 main categories for PTSD symptoms based on the DSM-5.
Under each category are specific PTSD symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, andmore.
I’ve created a free DSM-5 PTSD checklist for you to download and look at (no opt-in required).
Click here to view a complete DSM-5 PTSD Checklist.
If you’re wondering whether or not you or someone you know has PTSD, go through this checklist, or send it to them for them to see for themselves!
Now you’ve learned the PTSD symptoms the DSM-5 outlines…
But really, how effective is it at diagnosing PTSD?
Is the DSM-5 the end all be all for diagnosing PTSD?
No. In fact I believe that there are a few flaws in the way it is designed. That being said, it still contains the most accurate and up-to-date criteria for PTSD.
Here’s what I believe…
If a past experience is affecting your present in a negative way you need help. It doesn’t matter what a doctor says, you know you’re in pain and you deserve it to stop.
That’s why it doesn’t matter if you have an “official” PTSD diagnosis from the DSM-5.
The first DSM was written in 1952 and has been updated ever since with new findings and research. The “official” manual for diagnosis mental illness is constantly being changed and updated.
This means that the current “official” manual, isn’t 100% accurate, and never will be.
We will always be finding new information and the official manual will always be updated. This isn’t a book of law, these are guidelines. Guidelines that will be perpetually updated, iterated, and improved upon.
I’ll say it again because it’s so important.
It doesn’t matter if someone has given you the official PTSD diagnosis from the DSM-5. If you’re past is affecting your present negatively, and you can’t seem to shake your past experiences you need to process those events and heal.
But, waiting only makes things worse. If you believe that you have PTSD then you need help.
Who cares if it’s “official” or not?
You are in pain, and you deserve it to stop.
I predict that in the future a lot more people will be diagnosed with “PTSD”.
I’m not saying that more traumatic events are going to happen. That’s not it at all…
Here’s what I am saying… Right now there are a LOT of people who suffer with PTSD who are not “officially” diagnosed. People who are suffering right now, that are not getting the right treatment, only because they weren’t officially diagnosed with PTSD.
Here’s why I believe this…
Each person interprets events differently. One event can seem completely harmless to one person, but traumatic to the next.
I believe that in the future we will stop focusing on specific traumatic events, and start focusing on whether or not an event was interpreted as traumatic to a particular individual.
For example emotional abuse. There have been cases where an emotionally abused person had the same, if not worse, PTSD symptoms to veterans coming home from war.
You see, it doesn’t matter what you go through.
And, it doesn’t matter if you have an official diagnosis.
If you are in pain from a past event that you and your mind interpret as traumatic, then you could have PTSD.
The type of event or experience is honestly irrelevant.
It’s all about how it was interpreted by your brain.
You’ve read through this checklist and have come to the conclusion that you have PTSD…
What do you do now?
How do you heal your past? And not just temporarily relieve the pain, but heal it for good?
With hundreds of treatment options for PTSD, how do you know what to do?
In the past, treatments for PTSD were extremely archaic and ineffective. Even to this day many PHD’s and therapists are still stuck using these harmful out-of-date treatments.
But here’s the truth…
Recovering from PTSD has never been easier.
With new modern research, developments, and technology people are fully recovering from PTSD in just weeks. If you struggling with PTSD, there has never been a better time to heal.
Here at OvercomingPTSD.info, we’ve put together a helpful, completely free webinar that teaches you these modern techniques to help you quickly recover from PTSD or CPTSD. Click here to sign up now.
