The following activity asks you to apply the DSM 5 criteria for PTSD. Use the DSM classification to determine which of the three clients below is most likely suffering from PTSD. For each client make a list of symptoms that you think would support a diagnosis and symptoms that would potentially disqualify such a diagnosis. Also, make note of any information that you would need before making a final diagnosis. What could they say that would make you more confident in diagnosing them with PTSD? Client 1 Margaret started showing symptoms two years ago. She has trouble sleeping and often finds that she has very high levels of anxiety. She lives in fear and refuses to go anywhere by herself. Sometimes at university, she is overwhelmed by her anxiety. She says, "My heart beats so fast that I think that I am having a heart attack. My mouth gets very dry. I can't think. I simply start crying and curl up in a ball wherever I am." Margaret has started to avoid night classes and often will ask the security officer to escort her across the campus to her dorm room. She has moved into a dorm room by herself and keeps the door locked when she arrives back from classes. How confident are you, on a scale of 1 to 10, that Margaret may be suffering from PTSD? Justify your response. Client 2 Claire has been having problems sleeping. Last month she saw a movie about a murder and since then she has been having nightmares in which someone she loves is killed. She finds the body and then is chased by the murderer. During the day, especially when walking alone, she often daydreams and forgets where she is going. Her friends have noticed that she is preoccupied and often not taking part in their discussions. More and more she is not taking part in social activities with her friends. She recently went to the grocery store and realized that she didn't know where she was or why she was there. Her work is suffering as she is having problems concentrating. Last week her boss popped his head into her office to wish her a good morning and surprised her. She screamed and spilled her coffee all over her desk. Since that incident, she has been calling in "sick" to work. How confident are you, on a scale of 1 to 10, that Claire may be suffering from PTSD? Justify your response. Client 3 Derek is an Iraq War veteran who was wounded while on duty in Tikrit. His injury meant that he was discharged from active service and has returned to the US to his wife and two children. He finds that he has no energy to do anything. His injury does not prevent him from getting a job, but he has no motivation to look for one. He is spending most of his time on the couch, thinking about his time in Iraq. He finds that he is arguing constantly with his wife and children. When the fighting gets too much, he goes down to the veterans' society club, but there he finds that the majority of the vets are older and don't understand the situation in Iraq. The criticism of the war in Iraq by the US media and by other vets makes him angry. He is having problems sleeping and he feels a sense of hopelessness with regard to his future. Recently he went to the cinema alone to watch a movie about Vietnam. He cried through most of the film. How confident are you, on a scale of 1 to 10, that Claire may be suffering from PTSD? Justify your response.