What is PTSD?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or 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, abuse (sexual, physical, emotional, ritual), and 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, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person’s daily life. PTSD is marked by clear biological changes as well as psychological symptoms. PTSD is complicated by the fact that it frequently occurs in conjunction with related disorders such as depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other problems of physical and mental health.
PTSD or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a clearly-defined medical condition with specific symptom criteria that have to be present at least for one month. Individuals who have PTSD must have experienced, witnessed, or have been confronted with a situation in which there is actual or threatened death or serious injury or a threat of physical injury of the self or others. The dominant emotional responses are fear, helplessness and horror in adults while children may respond with disorganized or agitated behavior. PTSD symptoms occur across three clusters: • Re-experience of the Traumatic Event The traumatic event is re-experienced over and over again by the individual in dreams, flashbacks or disturbing memories. Children may engage in repetitive play in which themes of the disaster are repeated, have frightening dreams without recognizable content. • Avoidance of Reminders of the Traumatic Event An individual may avoid situations or feelings that remind them of the disaster, feel detac
