Which of the following is one of the three main PTSD symptom categories?

• A. Reexperiencing
• B. Avoidance
• C. Hyperarousal
• D. Hallucinations

Answer: (C)

PTSD symptoms tend to group together in sets that reflect how trauma affects the brain’s signaling for threat, memory, and regulation of arousal. One of these key clusters is hyperarousal and reactivity, which shows up as a persistent state of heightened alertness: trouble sleeping, irritability or angry outbursts, difficulty concentrating, being easily startled, and constantly scanning the environment for danger. This ongoing arousal helps distinguish PTSD from normal stress responses and from other conditions, because the body remains in a heightened fight-or-flight mode long after the traumatic event.

So, identifying hyperarousal as a core category makes sense because it captures the physiological and behavioral readiness to react to threats, a hallmark of PTSD. Other common clusters include reexperiencing the trauma and avoidance, while hallucinations are not typical PTSD features and usually point to a different diagnosis.