distressing dreams of the event . Under Criteria C ( avoidance and numbing ) , the Veteran did not actively avoid activities , places , or people that arouse recollections of the trauma . Under Criteria D ( hyperarousal ) , the examiner indicated the Veteran did not suffer from irritability or outbursts of anger . Moreover , the examiner could not explain why the Veteran had been diagnosed with PTSD by past treatment providers because she could not review how those providers arrived at a diagnosis . Lastly , she opined that the Veteran merely suffered from isolated symptoms of PTSD which were not sufficient to make a PTSD diagnosis under the DSM - IV . In June 2012 , the Veteran submitted a statement explaining that