Post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, is among
only a few mental disorders that are triggered by a disturbing
outside event, quite unlike other psychiatric disorders such as
depression.
Many Americans experience individual traumatic events ranging
from car and airplane accidents to sexual assault and domestic
violence. Other experiences, including those associated with
natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes,
affect multiple people simultaneously. Dramatic and tragic events,
like the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon,
and wars occur, and with media exposure such as we have today, even
people not directly involved might be affected. Simply put, PTSD is
a state in which you "can't stop remembering."
Although the disorder must be diagnosed by a mental health
professional, symptoms of PTSD are clearly defined. To be diagnosed
with PTSD, you must have been in a situation in which you were
afraid for your safety or your life, or you must have experienced
something that made you feel fear, helplessness, or horror.
The worse the trauma, the more likely a person will develop PTSD,
and the worse the symptoms. The most severely affected are unable
to work, have trouble with relationships, and have great difficulty
parenting their children.
