Three years after the death of her father in an ICU, the infection prevention nurse was visiting an ICU in a different hospital to complete a chart review. At one point, the nurse looked at a bed containing a client with the same diagnosis as her father. The nurse saw her father's facial features on the client and experienced a sense of panic. In a few moments, the nurse realized that the client in the bed was not her father. What manifestation of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was the nurse experiencing?

Choice A reason: A flashback is a sudden, intrusive re-experiencing of a traumatic event where the individual feels as though they are reliving the trauma. In this case, the nurse perceived her father’s facial features on another patient and experienced panic, which is consistent with a flashback. The nurse temporarily lost touch with reality and believed she was seeing her deceased father, which is a hallmark of flashback episodes in PTSD.

Choice B reason: Dreams are re-experiencing of trauma during sleep, often in the form of nightmares. This scenario occurred while the nurse was awake and actively working, not during sleep. Therefore, it does not fit the definition of a dream manifestation of PTSD.

Choice C reason: Emotional numbing refers to detachment, lack of emotional responsiveness, or inability to feel emotions related to trauma. The nurse did not demonstrate detachment or blunted affect; instead, she experienced intense panic and fear, which is the opposite of emotional numbing.

Choice D reason: Hyperarousal involves symptoms such as irritability, exaggerated startle response, difficulty sleeping, or hypervigilance. While panic can occur in hyperarousal, the key feature here is the misperception of reality and reliving of the trauma, which is more consistent with a flashback than hyperarousal.