A soldier returned home from active duty in a combat zone in Afghanistan and was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The soldier says, 'If there's a loud noise at night, I get under my bed because I think we're getting bombed.' What type of experience has the soldier described?

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Flashbacks are dissociative reactions in which an individual feels or acts as if the traumatic event were recurring. Illusions are misinterpretations of stimuli, and although the experience is similar, it is better termed a flashback because of the diagnosis of PTSD. Auditory hallucinations have no external stimuli. Nightmares commonly accompany PTSD, but this experience was stimulated by an actual environmental sound.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: In response to trauma, the sympathetic arousal symptoms of rapid heart rate and rapid respiration prepare the person for flight or fight responses. Afterward, the dorsal vagal response damps down the sympathetic nervous system. This is a parasympathetic response with the heart rate and respiration slowing down and decreasing the blood pressure. Relaxation techniques promote activity of the parasympathetic nervous system.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Failed to generate a rationale of 500+ characters after 5 retries.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) is the latest classification system for psychological disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association, released in 2013. The WHO's ICD (International Classification of Diseases) is broader and not the latest specific to psychological disorders here. ICD-9 and DSM-III R are outdated versions.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Failed to generate a rationale of 500+ characters after 5 retries.