Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Overview

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or violent personal assaults like rape. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged. These symptoms can be severe enough to significantly impair a person's daily life.

Individuals suffering from PTSD endure both biological changes and psychological symptoms. PTSD often occurs in conjunction with related disorders such as depression, substance abuse, memory problems, and other conditions of physical and mental health. The disorder is also associated with impairment of the person's ability to function in social or family life, including occupational instability, marital problems and divorces, family discord, and parenting difficulties.

PTSD has been observed in all military veteran populations that have been studied, including World War II, Korean conflict, Persian Gulf, and United Nations peacekeeping forces. PTSD is not only a problem for veterans, however. PTSD occurs in men and women, adults and children. A study of American civilians estimated that the lifetime prevalence of PTSD was 5% in men and 10% in women.

Most people who are exposed to a traumatic, stressful event experience some of the symptoms of PTSD in the days and weeks following the event. Approximately 8% of men and 20% of women go on to develop PTSD, and roughly 30% of these individuals develop a chronic form that persists throughout their lifetimes.

The traumatic events most often associated with PTSD for men include: rape, combat exposure, childhood neglect, and childhood physical abuse. For women: rape, sexual molestation, physical attack, being threatened with a weapon, and childhood physical abuse.

See Also¶

1. Emotional Problems
2. Air Rage: Overview
3. Cruise Ship & Ferry Accidents
4. Dillard's & Racial Discrimination
5. Dog Bite
6. Ford SUVs & Pickup Trucks - Door Latches
7. Frontal Impact Collision
8. Gas & Oil Pipeline Accidents
9. General Anesthesia: Overview
10. Gun Violence: Overview
11. High-Speed Police Chases
12. Inadequate Security: Overview
13. Inmate Abuse: Overview
14. Military Hazards & Accidents
15. Mining & Oil Field Accidents
16. Plane Crashes, Accidents & Near Misses
17. Police Misconduct: Overview
18. Pool Accidents
19. Prison Health Services -Tampa
20. Racial Discrimination: Overview
21. Rear End Collision: Overview
22. Rollover
23. School Buses & Commercial Lines
24. Sexual Harassment: Overview
25. Side Impact Collision
26. Swimming Pool Drains
27. Tractor-Trailer Accidents
28. Train Accidents
29. Violent Children & Teenagers: Overview
30. Workplace Violence