Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Posttramatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a serious, potentially debilitating condition that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a life-threatening event such as a natural disaster, serious accident, terrorist incident, sudden death of a loved one, war, or violent personal assault such as rape. While most people who experience such events recover from them, people with PTSD continue to be severely depressed and anxious for months or even years following the event. They frequently relive the event through flashbacks and nightmares. Relaxing, concentrating, or sleeping may become difficult, and they often feel detached or estranged from others.
PTSD is characterized by three main types of symptoms:
Re-experiencing the trauma through intrusive distressing recollections of the event, flashbacks and nightmares
Emotional numbness and avoidance of places, people, and activities that are reminders of the trauma
Increased arousal such as difficulty sleeping and concentrating, feeling jumpy, and being easily irritated and angered
PTSD is diagnosed after a person has been experiencing the symptoms abovefor at least one month following a traumatic event. But often symptoms of PTSD may not appear until several months or even years later.
Women are twice as likely to develop PTSD as men, and children can also develop the disorder. PTSD often occurs with depression, substance abuse, or other anxiety disorders.
Info provided from adaa.org
