Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

What Is PTSD?

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious condition that can develop after someone experiences or witnesses a traumatic or terrifying event involving serious physical harm or the threat of it. Examples of things that can bring on PTSD include sexual or physical assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, an accident, a war, or a natural disaster. Families of victims can develop PTSD, as can emergency personnel and rescue workers.

Most people who have a traumatic event may have reactions such as shock, anger, nervousness, fear, and even guilt. These reactions are common, and for most people, they go away over time. For someone with PTSD, however, these feelings continue and even increase. That can make it hard to hold a job, have a relationship, and even take care of yourself.

PTSD history

Descriptions of trauma-related symptoms can be found in writings going back thousands of years. In the mid-19th century, doctors started trying to explain and address physical and mental symptoms experienced by military service members. People called it things such as "war neurosis," "shell shock," and "battle fatigue."

When the American Psychiatric Association published its first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1952, it included what was called "gross stress reaction." As a result of research involving veterans of the Vietnam War, Holocaust survivors, sexual assault victims, and others, PTSD became a formal diagnosis in 1980. At that time, it was classified as a type of anxiety disorder.

Understanding of the disorder has evolved over time, and the definition and specific symptoms have changed somewhat. It's now in a separate category under the umbrella of trauma and stressor-related disorders.

PTSD Symptoms

There are certain criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. You have to have been impacted by a stressful event beyond what most people are able to deal with.

Your symptoms need to have gone on for at least a month. These often begin within 3 months of the event, but it may take years for them to appear.

While one person's symptoms may be more intense than another's, they must cause significant problems in your personal or work life. You also have to have symptoms from each of these four categories: