The Stressor Criterion in PTSD: Notes on the Genealogy of a Problematic Construct

After a brief historical overview of the genealogy of the stressor criterion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), a clinical example is drawn upon to indicate that there is evidence suggesting that low-magnitude stressors are also capable of producing PTSD symptoms. The diathesis-stress model and the kindling model are discussed as providing possible explanations for this.