What is PTSD?

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a complex health condition that can develop in response to a traumatic experience – a life-threatening or extremely distressing situation that causes a person to feel intense fear, horror or a sense of helplessness. PTSD can cause severe problems at home or at work. Anyone can develop PTSD – men, women, children, young and old alike. Fortunately, PTSD is treatable.

The individual initially responds with intense fear, helplessness, or horror. The person later develops a response to the event that is characterized by persistently re-experiencing the event, with resultant symptoms of numbness, avoidance, and hyper-arousal. These symptoms result in clinically significant distress or functional impairment. To meet the full criteria for PTSD, these symptoms should be present for a minimum of 1 month following the initial traumatic event.

The events experienced may be natural disasters, violent personal assaults, war, severe automobile accidents, or the diagnosis of a life-threatening condition. For children, a developmentally inappropriate sexual experience may be considered a traumatic event, even though it may not have actually involved violence or physical injury.

PTSD can be acute (symptoms lasting less than 3 months), chronic (symptoms lasting more than 3 months), or of delayed onset (it takes 6 months after an event before symptoms appear).

Frequency in the US: PTSD has a lifetime prevalence of 8-10% and accounts for considerable disability and morbidity. One study found the prevalence of PTSD in a sample of adolescent boys to be 3.7% and adolescent girls to be 6.3%. Approximately 30% of men and women who have spent time in a war zone experience PTSD.

Mortality/Morbidity:

• In various studies, a direct relationship is observed between the severity of the trauma and the risk for PTSD.

• Individuals with the disorder may have an increased risk of impulsive behavior or suicide. Victims of sexual assault are at especially high risk for developing mental health problems and committing suicide.

• One of the most pivotal observations in relation to the development of PTSD in adults who were traumatized as children is the association between early trauma exposure and subsequent retraumatization

Sex: Females may be at a higher risk than males. An epidemiologic survey of adult women indicates alarmingly high rates of traumatic events, particularly those events relating to being victims of crimes. Sexual assault probably has the most impact on women, and trauma from combat probably has the most impact on men.

Age: PTSD can occur in persons of any age, including children. Symptoms usually begin within 3 months of the event, although a delay of months or years may occur before symptoms appear.