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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe psychological reaction to one or more exceptionally threatening or catastrophic events. Characteristic symptoms include intrusions (unwanted reliving in the form of flashbacks or nightmares), avoidance behavior towards trauma-associated stimuli, negative changes in cognition and mood, and increased arousal (hyperarousal with sleep disturbances, irritability, and exaggerated startle responses). PTSD can remain active for months or decades after the triggering event and permeate a person's entire experience and behavior. In thriller literature, PTSD is a defining character trait: the war-scarred veteran, the surviving victim of abuse, the investigator haunted by a crime scene. The disorder not only provides psychological depth but also narrative tension – flashbacks can be staged as retrospectives, and triggers as turning points. Particularly productive is the question of whether memories under PTSD are reliable – whether the trauma preserves or distorts the truth.