subsequent editions eschewed etiological considerations, and pursued an agnostic approach to etiology.
Except for PTSD. Here, etiology is a central defining characteristic. Indeed, it makes little sense to talk of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the absence of a traumatic stressor.
There is another diagnostic category, however, which also focuses on etiological factors: Bereavement. In fact, the analogy between PTSD and Bereavement is conceptually quite close.
In both situations, we have a normal (or, if you prefer, understandable) response to an environmental event. The symptom complex which characterizes PTSD (intrusive thoughts, nightmares, avoidance) is what we expect after a traumatic event of sufficient severity; similarly, the sort of grief, sadness, sense of loss, mood disturbance which accompany loss of a loved one is expectable. The responses to trauma and to loss share numerous features.
None of this is new. Others have remarked on the similari
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