Children must also meet at least one re-experiencing criteria, three avoidant/numbing criteria, and two hyperarousal criteria, listed in Table I. Children must meet minimal duration criteria of at least 1 month, and they must show functional impairment

in an important area (school, peers, family, etc). Table I. DSM-IV-TR PTSD diagnostic criteria.6 Challenge Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical 1: specificity of pediatric PTSD diagnostic criteria Some overlap exists between diagnostic criteria for PTSD and other childhood internalizing disorders. Four PTSD diagnostic criteria (decreased interest in activities, sleep disturbance, restricted range of affect, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and decreased concentration) overlap with those for major depressive disorder (MDD). Three INCB018424 solubility dmso symptoms of PTSD (decreased concentration, irritability, and sleep disturbance)

also overlap with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Despite this overlap, there are pathognomonic symptoms of PTSD that make it distinct. No diagnoses other than acute stress disorder (ASD) include trauma-specific items such as criteria B 1-5 (specific to traumatic reexperiencing symptoms) or C 1-3 (specific to traumatic avoidance and numbing). Thus, 8 out of Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical 17, or nearly half of the PTSD diagnostic criteria,

are unique to PTSD or partly shared by ASD. It is literally impossible to be diagnosed with PTSD without trauma-specific criterion B symptoms. In this regard, a study conducted by Keane et al7 demonstrated that clinicians could readily distinguish PTSD from MDD or GAD despite Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical several overlapping criteria, due to the presence of a number of discriminating items and dimensions that differentiate these respective disorders. Nevertheless, in a debate that so far has been largely confined to the adult literature, the specificity of PTSD has been challenged Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical because of concerns that persons who do not really have the disorder may be diagnosed (too many false-positives). For example, in one study of patients enrolling in treatment studies for depression, Dipeptidyl peptidase the group with true trauma events and the group with “minor traumas” both had nearly 80% rates of PTSD from structured interviews.8 That is, the “minor trauma” subjects endorsed enough criteria B, C, and D symptoms from their events to qualify for the diagnosis. However, the authors paid only glancing attention to the issue that this was a highly selective help-seeking depressed sample, suggesting that they had greater vulnerability to react to minor trauma and develop symptoms.