Survivor guilt

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Survivor guilt or survivor's guilt (also survivor syndrome, survivor's syndrome, survivor disorder and survivor's disorder) happens when individuals feel guilty after they survive a tragic, near death, or traumatic event when others perished. It can cause similar depressive symptoms associated with PTSD. Dr. William G. Niederland first introduced the term to describe the feeling of punishment many of the Holocaust survivors felt for surviving over their loved ones. The experience and manifestation of survivor guilt will depend on an individual's psychological profile. When the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV) was published, survivor guilt was removed as a recognized specific diagnosis, and redefined as a significant symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The history of survivor guilt outlines similar symptoms among many groups and individuals that experience tragic situations. Other patterns of guilt are found in medical aid groups who lose patients...

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