Which disorder develops after exposure to extreme trauma and includes symptoms like flashbacks and nightmares?

• A. Bipolar Disorder
• B. Autism
• C. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• D. PTSD

Answer: (D)

Exposure to extreme trauma can lead to a trauma- and stressor-related disorder in which intrusive memories disrupt daily life. The hallmark intrusion symptoms are distressing, involuntary memories, flashbacks, and nightmares related to the traumatic event. In addition, people may avoid reminders of the trauma, experience negative changes in thoughts or mood, and show increased arousal (for example, being easily startled, having sleep disturbances, or irritability).

Diagnosis typically comes when these symptoms persist for more than a month and cause significant distress or impairment in functioning. This combination of trauma exposure plus persistent intrusion symptoms, avoidance, negative mood/cognition changes, and arousal points to posttraumatic stress disorder.

The other options don’t fit the pattern. Bipolar disorder centers on mood swings between mania and depression, not trauma-triggered intrusion symptoms. Autism involves developmental differences in social communication and behavior, not a trauma-triggered syndrome. Generalized anxiety disorder features pervasive worry across many areas, without the trauma-specific intrusion symptoms and the distinct diagnostic duration and impairment criteria seen in PTSD.