Pediatric PTSD in the DSM-5 and the Forensic Interview of Traumatized Youth
Date
2017
Journal Title
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Publisher
The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
Abstract
Since the Third Edition, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has increasingly
incorporated developmentally informed criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of recognition
that children and adolescents can manifest PTSD differently from adults. The most recent edition, DSM-5, among
other changes, has introduced a developmental subtype for children six years of age or younger. As pediatric PTSD
features very prominently in both civil and criminal proceedings, it is vital that the expert witness be familiar with
the updated criteria and know how to interview traumatized youth appropriately in the forensic setting. In this
review, we discuss the importance of the evolution of PTSD from past DSM editions to the current one, and the
implications of using the new diagnostic criteria and current conceptual models in the forensic evaluation of
pediatric PTSD.
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Keywords
DSM-5, PTSD, adolescents, child trauma
Citation
Tedeschi, F. K., & Billick, S. B. (2017). Pediatric PTSD in the DSM-5 and the Forensic Interview of Traumatized Youth. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 45(2), 175.