PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder that typically arises after a person has experienced an extremely frightening, tragic or otherwise upsetting event. Those suffering from PTSD may have had their own life directly threatened, or they may have witnessed a life-threatening event that happened to a loved one or a complete stranger.
 
A trigger event describes the situation that is directly responsible for a person�s development of PTSD. While some people may exhibit symptoms of PTSD immediately after the trigger, others may suppress their feelings about the event for months or even years, until they final erupt and cause PTSD.
 
Those who are affected by PTSD generally experience any combination of the following symptoms:
  • extreme emotions (that can quickly oscillate between manic and depressive states)
  • flashbacks
  • general aloofness
  • hallucinations (both visual and auditory in nature)
  • irritability
  • nightmares and/or night terrors
  • panic states.

For those suffering from PTSD, any environmental or social stimuli can trigger a hallucination or flashback of the traumatic event. From sounds to images, a PTSD patient is constantly at risk of running into triggers that will make him or her re-live the horrible event that caused PTSD in the first place.

In this section, we will fully explain what PTSD is. Our articles will outline specific situations, events and circumstances that can lead to the development of PTSD.

What is PTSD?

PTSD is a highly unpredictable disorder that may affect some people and not others who have experienced the same traumatic event. Because PTSD symptoms can take hours to years to develop, this disorder can affect individuals who have gone through tragic events at any time.

Just as symptoms of this disorder can take years to develop, so too can it take years for a person to get over or learn to live with PTSD. To complicate matters further, horrible experiences tend to push people towards drug and alcohol abuse. In some cases, using these substances can mask the underlying PTSD. As a result, those that abuse alcohol and drugs are likely to have a delayed onset of PTSD symptoms.

Because PTSD has such an elusive nature, understanding exactly what PTSD is can help you identify it in yourself or loved ones.

Common PTSD Sufferers

Although PTSD can have a delayed onset, experts have identified some risk factors that highlight the types of situations that are most likely to trigger the development of PTSD in people. Some of the circumstances that typically lead to PTSD include:
  • car accidents
  • childbirth (This is a special type of PTSD referred to as Postpartum Depression.)
  • death of a loved one
  • development of a life-threatening disease or condition (i.e. HIV, cancer, etc.)
  • divorce
  • loss of employment
  • money problems
  • participating in war
  • physical, emotional or sexual abuse
  • rape
  • serious physical injury.

Clearly, there is a wide spectrum of potentially tragic events that can lead people of nearly any age, gender and ethnicity to develop PTSD. In fact, researchers have found that none of these biological factors significantly affect whether or not people will suffer from PTSD. In other words, men and women of all ages and races are equally like to develop PTSD.

If you or someone you love has experienced one or more of the above risk factors, learn more about common PTSD sufferers so that you can take steps to prevent or treat this condition.