- Violent personal assaults
- Natural or human-caused disasters
- Accidents
- Military combat.
Examples of those who may experience PTSD include:
- Military troops who served in the Vietnam and Gulf wars
- Rescue workers involved in the aftermath of disasters like the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.
- Survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing
- Survivors of accidents, rape, physical and sexual abuse, and other crimes
- Immigrants fleeing violence in their countries
- Survivors of the 1994 California earthquake, the 1997 North and South Dakota floods, and hurricanes Hugo and Andrew
- People who witness traumatic events.
Family members of victims also can develop the disorder.
PTSD can occur in people of any age, including children and adolescents.
Many people with PTSD repeatedly re-experience the ordeal in the form of flashbacks, memories, nightmares, or frightening thoughts, especially when they are exposed to events or objects that remind them of the trauma. Anniversaries of the event can also trigger symptoms.
People with the condition may experience:
- Emotional numbness and sleep disturbances
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Irritability or outbursts of anger
- Feelings of intense guilt.
Most people with the condition try to avoid any reminders or thoughts of the ordeal.
Physical PTSD symptoms are also common, such as:
- Headaches
- Gastrointestinal distress
- Immune system problems
- Dizziness
- Chest pain
- Discomfort in other parts of the body.
Often, healthcare providers treat these symptoms without being aware that they stem from an
anxiety disorder.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is diagnosed only if the symptoms last more than a month. In those who do develop the condition, symptoms usually begin within three months of the trauma. The course of the illness varies. Some people recover within six months; others have symptoms that last much longer. In some cases, PTSD may be chronic. Occasionally, it doesn't show up until years after the traumatic event.
People with PTSD can be helped by medications and carefully targeted psychotherapy.
Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of
cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), group therapy, and exposure therapy, in which the person gradually and repeatedly relives the frightening experience under controlled conditions to help him or her work through the trauma. Studies have also found that several types of medication, particularly the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (
SSRIs) and other
antidepressants, can help relieve the symptoms of PTSD.
Other research shows that giving people an opportunity to talk about their experiences soon after a catastrophic event may reduce some of the symptoms of PTSD. A study of 12,000 schoolchildren who lived through a hurricane in Hawaii found that those who got counseling early on were doing much better two years later than those who did not.
An estimated 5.2 million American adults ages 18 to 54, or approximately 3.6 percent of people in this age group, have PTSD in a given year.
About 30 percent of Vietnam veterans developed PTSD at some point after the war. The disorder also has been detected among veterans of the Persian Gulf War, with some estimates running as high as 8 percent.
More than twice as many women as men experience PTSD following exposure to trauma.
Depression, alcohol or other substance abuse, or other
anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with PTSD. The likelihood of successful treatment is increased when these other conditions are appropriately diagnosed and treated as well.
