Post-traumatic stress disorder

Abstract Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is categorized as an anxiety disorder but, over the past decade, scientists have questioned whether it would be more apt to characterize it as a memory disorder. Memory is altered in PTSD. Individuals with PTSD often re-experience memories of their trauma. The memories feel intrusive, and they persist long after the event. Individuals with PTSD often report global difficulties with concentration or with committing new information to memory. PTSD is associated with a disruption in sleep, which may further exacerbate the memory challenges. Although memory disturbances have long been recognized as a prominent PTSD feature, ongoing research is examining whether the way that memory structures are built and reassembled over time may play a more direct and causal role in PTSD.