Objectives: According to DSM-IV-TR, criteria C (Numbing) at least 3 symptoms out of 7 must be present for the diagnosis of PTSD. However, clinical experiences related to PTSD show that some cases don’t have criteria C. Are their diagnosis not PTSD? Or, criteria should be revised?
Method: Numbing (as Criteria C) in PTSD was evaluated and challenged by the symptomatology assessment of 300 cases affected by PTSD by CAPS, interview with experienced psychiatrists and article review. Results: Evaluation of 300 cases with PTSD revealed that 47% have less than 3 symptoms for criteria C (Numbing). Also, psychiatrists consider that some patients don’t have complete criteria C in their clinical experiences. Symptoms in numbing criteria overlap with Depressive symptoms.
Conclusion: PTSD criteria should be revised, especially for numbing (criteria C) according to type of stressors and so differentiate it from depression.