What is PTSD?Post-traumatic stress disorder is a syndrome experienced by many veterans and is a priority for a plethora of psychology researchers. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders lists eight criteria for this prevalent mental illness, including a stressor, interference symptoms, escape, changes in provocation and reactivity, and duration of symptoms for more than one month. PTSD is often characterized by disruptions in sleep patterns, with the traumatic event frequently appearing in veterans' nightmares. PTSD has been shown to be unpredictable and there are many ambiguous aspects to this disorder. It is believed that PTSD may not even require experiencing a traumatic event. However, many psychologists believe that the number of PTSD diagnoses has become too large and that the diagnosis of PTSD has become too generalized. -PTSD diagnosisAnxiety and depression are often misdiagnosed as PTSD, according to one veteran. Since the Vietnam War, the frequency and diagnosis of PTSD have exploded. After a significant reduction in the rate of PTSD among veterans, when poorly documented PTSD cases were extracted from the collection, Bruce P. Dohr-enwend of Columbia found a 13% reduction in the rate of PTSD over the life ; Continuing Dohr-enwend's work, McNally concluded that a majority of PTSD patients were able to cope with everyday life, reducing the lifetime rate of PTSD by an additional 7% ( Dobbs 2). Additionally, many veterans are known to over- or under-report their PTSD symptoms, making accurate diagnosis even more difficult. Because diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder is difficult, many researchers are working on new methods of diagnosing PTSD more acutely...... middle of paper ......Danish soldiers in study showed no signs of PTSD, another large group of soldiers tested showed only short-term symptoms of PTSD. A plethora of soldiers suffering from severe PTSD symptoms only experienced these symptoms after returning home, not after a specific traumatic event occurred in the field. In this respect, PTSD proves ambiguous. Although the DSM includes a criterion requiring the experience of a traumatic event, PTSD can present in many forms and is not yet fully understood. Childhood connectionRosen's study, focused on the root cause PTSD, showed that stress (anxiety or nightmares) experienced by soldiers before deployment decreased or dissipated in 13% of soldiers (Herbert 2). Additionally, those who developed severe post-traumatic stress disorder had suffered from emotional problems before their deployment, particularly childhood abuse or exposure to violence..