Post-traumatic stress disorder

Alternative names:

PTSD

Definition:

A severe anxiety reaction to a traumatic event that occurs outside the range of usual human experience.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur as an acute disorder soon after the trauma, or have a delayed onset in which the symptoms occur more than 6 months after the trauma. It can occur at any age and can follow a natural disaster such as flood or fire, a man-made disaster such as war or imprisonment, or assault or rape. Such events produce stress in anyone, but not everyone will develop PTSD. The cause is not known, but psychological, genetic, physical, and social factors may contribute to it. In studies of Vietnam war veterans, those with strong support systems were less likely to develop PTSD than those without support systems. People with PTSD persistently reexperience the event in at least one of several ways: recurrent distressing dreams; recurrent recollections of the event, a sense of reliving the experience (flash backs); and intense distress at events that symbolize an aspect of the event (such as anniversaries).