What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)- an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more.
Following traumatic events-
Most people associate PTSD with battle-scarred soldiers—and military combat is the most common cause in men—but any overwhelming life experience can trigger PTSD, especially if the event feels unpredictable and uncontrollable.
"It is not always true that 'What doesn't kill you make you stronger', but it is true; and, in addition to what doesn't kill you may reveal to you just how strong you really are."
-Psychologist Peter Suedfeld (1998, 2000), after interviewing Auschwitz and other Holocaust survivors
Following traumatic events-
- experiencing or witnessing severely threatening, uncontrollable events with a sense of fear, helplessness, or horror- can produce PTSD, characterized by lingering symptoms including haunting memories and nightmares, a numbed social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and insomnia.
- The more frequent and severe the assault experiences are, the more adverse the long-term outcomes tend to be.
Most people associate PTSD with battle-scarred soldiers—and military combat is the most common cause in men—but any overwhelming life experience can trigger PTSD, especially if the event feels unpredictable and uncontrollable.
"It is not always true that 'What doesn't kill you make you stronger', but it is true; and, in addition to what doesn't kill you may reveal to you just how strong you really are."
-Psychologist Peter Suedfeld (1998, 2000), after interviewing Auschwitz and other Holocaust survivors