Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental health disorder that occurs in some people after they experienced a traumatic event. Some examples of such events are violent crimes and attacks, abuse, natural disasters, war, serious accidents, and bullying. Not everyone who has these experiences develops PTSD, but many do. According to Psychiatry.org:

• PTSD affects approximately 3.5 percent of U.S. adults every year 
• The lifetime prevalence of PTSD in adolescents ages 13 -18 is 8% 
• An estimate of 1 in 11 people will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime 
• Women are twice as likely as men to have PTSD
• Three ethnic groups – U.S. Latinos, African Americans, and Native Americans/Alaska Natives – are disproportionately affected and have higher rates of PTSD than non-Latino whites

Symptoms and Causes

To be diagnosed with PTSD symptoms must be present for at least one month. Symptoms fall into four categories, as identified by NIMH and Psychiatry. 

1. Re-experiencing or intrusive symptoms, such as flashbacks, dreams, memories, or distressing thoughts. 
2. Avoidance symptoms that aid in avoiding the traumatic event, such as people, places, events, activities, or even objects that may trigger stress. 
3. Changes in cognition and mood that includes having memory problems, negative thoughts and emotions, distorted beliefs, loss of interest in things, and social isolation. 
4. Changes in arousal and reactivity that includes irritability, angry outbursts, self-destructive behavior, and having problems concentrating or sleeping. 

There are four other mental health conditions related to PTSD. They are acute stress disorder, adjustment disorder, disinhibited social engagement disorder, and reactive attachment disorder. Click here to read more about these other conditions. 

Research has found that people who develop PTSD have abnormal levels of neurotransmitters and hormones, and also have differences in the functioning and anatomy of their brains. According to the Cleveland Clinic some studies have found altered functioning of these neurotransmitters: cortisol, GABA, glutamate, and serotonin. In addition, there have been studies indicating brain differences, specifically a smaller hippocampus, an overly active amygdala, and a smaller and less responsive medial prefrontal cortex in individuals with PTSD. 

The NIMH identifies risk factors as well as resilience factors that play a role in increasing or decreasing the chance of PTSD developing after a traumatic event.

Risk factors include:

• Being exposed to previous traumatic experiences, particularly during childhood
• Getting hurt or seeing people hurt or killed
• Feelings of helplessness or extreme fear
• Having little or no social support after the event
• Dealing with extra stress after the event, such as loss of a loved one, pain and injury, or loss of a job or home
• Having a personal or family history of mental illness or substance use

Resilience factors include:

• Seeking out support from friends, family, or support groups
• Learning to feel okay with one’s actions in response to a traumatic event
• Having a coping strategy for getting through and learning from the traumatic event
• Being prepared and able to respond to upsetting events as they occur, despite feeling fear

Treatment

Like anxiety and depression, PTSD is treated with psychotherapy and medication. Psychotherapy may include cognitive processing therapy, exposure therapy, trauma focused therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for PTSD, and group therapy. Medications include some anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs. To read more about these treatments click here. 

The Brain and Behavior Research Foundation provides additional information on PTSD, and summaries of some of their research studies on the treatment of PTSD. You can read their research summaries here. 

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