Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
At any time in our lives, we can experience an event that could be thought of as overwhelming, frightening, and beyond our control. This could for instance be a car crash, an assault, or witness an accident. Police, fire brigade or ambulance workers are more likely to have such experiences - they often have to deal with horrifying scenes. Military personnel may be shot or blown up, and see friends killed or injured.
Though most people will get over these kinds of experiences over time without needing help. In some cases, traumatic experiences may set off a reaction that can last for many months or years. This is called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD for short.
People who have repeatedly experienced:
How does it start?
PTSD can start after any traumatic event. A traumatic event is one where we can see that we are in danger, our life is threatened, or where we see other people dying or being injured.
Some typical traumatic events would be:
PTSD can also be started after learning of the the unexpected injury or violent death of a friend or family member.