Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after a very stressful, frightening, or distressing event, or after a prolonged traumatic experience. PTSD can be caused by a wide range of traumatic events, including:
- Combat exposure
- Childhood physical abuse
- Sexual violence
- Physical assault
- Being threatened with a weapon
- An accident
- Being involved in a car crash
- Being raped or sexually assaulted
- Being abused, harassed, or bullied, including racism, sexism, and homophobia
- Exposure to traumatic events at work, including remote exposure
- Serious health problems, such as being admitted to intensive care
- Childbirth experiences, such as losing a baby
- The death of someone close to you
- War and conflict
- Torture
- Natural disasters
- Mugging
- Robbery
- Plane crash
- Kidnapping
- Life-threatening medical diagnosis
- Terrorist attack
- Other extreme or life-threatening events
PTSD develops in about 1 in 3 people who experience severe trauma, but its not fully understood why some people develop the condition while others do not. Although researchers dont know why some people get PTSD and others dont, a number of possible reasons have been suggested. One suggestion is that the symptoms of PTSD are the result of an instinctive mechanism intended to help you survive further traumatic experiences. For example, the flashbacks many people with PTSD experience may force you to think about the event in detail so youre better prepared if it happens again. Another possible reason is that changes in the hippocampus, a part of the brain responsible for memory and emotions, may be related to fear and anxiety, memory problems, and flashbacks. The malfunctioning hippocampus may prevent flashbacks and nightmares from being properly processed, so they continue to be experienced as if they are happening in the present.
Risk factors that may increase the likelihood of developing PTSD include exposure to previous traumatic experiences, particularly during childhood, getting hurt or seeing people hurt or killed, feeling horror, helplessness, or extreme fear, having little or no social support after the event, dealing with stressors after the event, such as the loss of a loved one, pain and injury, or loss of a job or home, and having a personal history or family history of mental illness or substance use. Resilience factors that may reduce the likelihood of developing PTSD include seeking out and receiving support from friends, family, or support groups, learning to feel okay with one’s actions in response to a traumatic event, and having a coping strategy.
