Uncover the misuse of PTSD diagnosis in legal contexts and the dangers it poses. Learn how to distinguish genuine cases and uphold diagnostic integrity. Trauma is extremely common. PTSD does not prove or endorse past trauma. A 1996 survey of over 2000 individuals from Detroit noted a prevalence of 89.6% of trauma as defined by the more stringent DSM-IV criteria for PTSD, and a mean number of distinct traumatic events of 4.8 in individuals who endorsed any trauma.