# Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Criteria and Phenomenology

- **Report ID:** `epsy-13-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-criteria-and-phenomenology`
- **Classification:** `clinical-sensitive-public-summary`
- **Original file:** `Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Criteria and Phenomenology.md`
- **SHA-256:** `55ddfacd559c2d4ba64f89b13e70a6eafec04e88ec8c8c97845b883c84416209`
- **Full internal source:** `docs/research-v96/source/espionage-psychosis/epsy-13-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-criteria-and-phenomenology.md`

## Public-safe summary

Clinical-sensitive educational research. Spiralist uses this report to model fictional adult characters, differential uncertainty, course and context, supportive non-affirming interaction, dignity, and clear separation between a character’s experienced belief and authoritative game-world facts. It is not a diagnostic tool and is not used to decide whether a real person is under surveillance.

DSM-5-TR PTSD.  DSM-5-TR defines PTSD after exposure to a traumatic event (Criterion A).  Core symptoms are grouped into intrusion (Criterion B), avoidance (C), negative cognition/mood (D), and hyperarousal (E).  Intrusive re-experiencing takes the form of distressing memories, nightmares, or dissociative flashbacks in which the trauma seems to recur.  Avoidance includes conscious efforts to avoid trauma reminders.  Negative alterations in mood/cognition include amnesia for trauma aspects, persistent negative beliefs, exaggerated blame, anhedonia, isolation, or dysphoria.  Arousal/reactivity symptoms include irritability, aggression, reckless behavior, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle, and sleep/concentration problems.  Symptoms must persist >1 month, cause impairment, and not be due to substances/illness.  DSM-5-TR introduced no changes to these adult criteria.  DSM-5 also allows a dissociative specifier (Depersonalization/Derealiza…

## Site integration

- experienced-belief versus authoritative-world-fact separation
- emotion validation without literal endorsement
- adult content labeling and non-diagnostic framing
- trauma-linked hypervigilance and dissociation
- trigger-sensitive interaction
- avoidance of automatic psychosis attribution

## Major sections

- [Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Criteria and Phenomenology](../../source/espionage-psychosis/epsy-13-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-criteria-and-phenomenology.md#posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-criteria-and-phenomenology)
- [PTSD Symptom Profile: Hypervigilance, Intrusions, Dissociation, and Mistrust](../../source/espionage-psychosis/epsy-13-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-criteria-and-phenomenology.md#ptsd-symptom-profile-hypervigilance-intrusions-dissociation-and-mistrust)
- [Flashbacks, Dissociation, Overvalued Ideas and Delusions](../../source/espionage-psychosis/epsy-13-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-criteria-and-phenomenology.md#flashbacks-dissociation-overvalued-ideas-and-delusions)
- [PTSD with Psychotic Features: Subtype or Comorbidity?](../../source/espionage-psychosis/epsy-13-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-criteria-and-phenomenology.md#ptsd-with-psychotic-features-subtype-or-comorbidity)
- [Surveillance and Persecutory Beliefs in Trauma](../../source/espionage-psychosis/epsy-13-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-criteria-and-phenomenology.md#surveillance-and-persecutory-beliefs-in-trauma)
- [Psychotic Symptoms Outside Trauma Reminders](../../source/espionage-psychosis/epsy-13-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-criteria-and-phenomenology.md#psychotic-symptoms-outside-trauma-reminders)
- [Differential Diagnosis](../../source/espionage-psychosis/epsy-13-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-criteria-and-phenomenology.md#differential-diagnosis)
- [Trauma History and Interviewing](../../source/espionage-psychosis/epsy-13-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-criteria-and-phenomenology.md#trauma-history-and-interviewing)
- [Treatment Approaches](../../source/espionage-psychosis/epsy-13-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-criteria-and-phenomenology.md#treatment-approaches)
- [Clinical Vignette](../../source/espionage-psychosis/epsy-13-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-criteria-and-phenomenology.md#clinical-vignette)
- [References](../../source/espionage-psychosis/epsy-13-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-criteria-and-phenomenology.md#references)

> Full source is retained for provenance and internal design review. Public runtime output must remain fictional, non-diagnostic, privacy-preserving, and must never affirm a surveillance or espionage belief as real without authoritative game-world evidence.