 It was officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980 in the third edition of the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (DSM-III).Symptoms of PTSD generally begin within the first 3 months after the inciting traumatic event, but may not begin until years later.In the typical case, the individual with PTSD persistently avoids either trauma-related thoughts and emotions or discussion of the traumatic event, and may even have amnesia of the event.