Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an Anxiety Disorder that can occur after an individual has seen or experienced a traumatic event involving the threat of injury or death. An individual with PTSD suffers from symptoms for at least one month after the traumatic event.
Traumatic events can include, but are not limited to: natural disasters, serious accidents, combat and/or war exposure, sudden death of a loved one, life changing medical diagnosis, childhood abuse, domestic violence and intense personal assaults.
PTSD symptoms generally fall into four key areas: re-experiencing the trauma (intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares), avoidance (staying away from people, places, conversations, or situations that trigger reminders of the trauma), negative changes in thoughts and mood (persistent guilt, shame, fear, emotional numbness, or feeling disconnected from others), and heightened arousal (difficulty sleeping, trouble concentrating, being easily startled, irritable, or constantly on guard).
For some individuals, symptoms develop soon after a traumatic event. For others, they may not emerge until months—or even longer—after the trauma. Left untreated, PTSD can significantly impact relationships, work, daily functioning, and overall quality of life.
An estimated 7.7 million (5-8%) of American adults have PTSD, with women being twice as likely to develop PTSD as men. Children can also develop PTSD.
Factors such as the severity of the trauma, previous life experiences, available social support, and individual resilience all influence whether PTSD develops.
PTSD is highly treatable, and decades of research have identified several evidence-based therapies that consistently produce lasting improvement. The most effective treatments are trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapies, including Prolonged Exposure (PE), , and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for children and adolescents. These approaches help individuals safely process traumatic memories, reduce avoidance, challenge unhelpful beliefs that developed after the trauma, and regain a sense of safety and control.