Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health issue caused by a traumatic event. Symptoms can include nightmares, severe anxiety, and flashbacks. Other names for PTSD are nostalgia, estar roto (Spanish for “to be broken”), shell shock, and battle fatigue. PTSD can arise from experiences like combat, childhood sexual or physical abuse, natural disasters, serious accidents, or terrorist attacks. It is not completely clear why some people develop PTSD while others do not. Whether someone develops the condition often depends on the trauma’s intensity, duration, level of personal harm, and closeness to the event.
There are four types of PTSD symptoms: re-living the event, avoiding situations that serve as reminders of the event, negative changes in beliefs and feelings and hyperarousal. It’s estimated that 7.8 percent of Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives. About 30 percent of treated veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with PTSD, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. PTSD is treated with psychotherapy and medication.
To learn more about PTSD and how you can help someone who may be suffering from the condition, please take a look at the infographic below.
