George was in New York, when he saw the Twin Towers being destroyed by the terrorist airplanes. Now he has recurrent dreams, flashback and emotional numbing. These are characteristic of:-
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Option (1) Generalised Anxiety Disorder — Incorrect. It consists of prolonged, vague, unexplained and intense fears that have no object, with hypervigilance and motor tension. George’s symptoms are tied to one event that he keeps reliving.
Option (2) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder — Correct. People who have been victims of bomb blasts by terrorists, or caught in a natural disaster, a serious accident or a war, often experience PTSD. Its symptoms may include recurrent dreams, flashbacks, impaired concentration and emotional numbing, the very symptoms George shows after watching the terrorist attack.
Option (3) Separation Anxiety Disorder — Incorrect. It is extreme distress when expecting or going through separation from home or from people one is deeply attached to. George’s problem began with a terrifying event, not a separation.
Option (4) Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder — Incorrect. There is no such disorder; the disorder that follows a trauma is post-traumatic.
NCERT (2025-26): “Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders … Very often people who have been caught in a natural disaster (such as tsunami) or have been victims of bomb blasts by terrorists, or been in a serious accident or in a war-related situation, experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD symptoms vary widely but may include recurrent dreams, flashbacks, impaired concentration, and emotional numbing. Adjustment Disorders and Acute Stress Disorder are also included under this category.…” |