Post-traumatic stress disorder can occur after someone has been exposed to a traumatic event. Trauma is defined as, “an extremely distressing experience that causes severe emotional shock and may have long-lasting psychological effects” (Townsend, 2014). Any event that causes a person to have intense fear of physical harm or death to themselves or a loved one may lead to PTSD. Events such as a motor vehicle accident, combat exposure, physical or sexual abuse, fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, tsunami, earthquake, and terrorist attacks can all be potential situations that create intense fear. This fear evokes the fight or flight response in the body. This response system is the body’s normal way of coping with situations where you fear for your
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Both men and women can develop PTSD, however, women are diagnosed more often. According to the National Center for PTSD, “about 7 or 8 out of every 100 people will experience PTSD at some point in their lives” (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). Certain predisposing factors can also influence the development of PTSD: people who have a personal or family history of mental illness, if they have recently gone through a life changing event such as a loss of job or death in the family, younger age and poorly educated also increase the risk. (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, …show more content…
Flashbacks and nightmares are a common complaint. The memories of the event can comeback at anytime, making the person feel just the way they did during the original event. Often times physical symptoms such as breathing fast, sweating, and an increased heart rate are described during both nightmares and flashbacks. These memories can occur spontaneously, or they may be precipitated by a trigger. A trigger may be a smell, sound, or sight that reminds the person of the event. (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,
Both men and women can develop PTSD, however, women are diagnosed more often. According to the National Center for PTSD, “about 7 or 8 out of every 100 people will experience PTSD at some point in their lives” (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). Certain predisposing factors can also influence the development of PTSD: people who have a personal or family history of mental illness, if they have recently gone through a life changing event such as a loss of job or death in the family, younger age and poorly educated also increase the risk. (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, …show more content…
Flashbacks and nightmares are a common complaint. The memories of the event can comeback at anytime, making the person feel just the way they did during the original event. Often times physical symptoms such as breathing fast, sweating, and an increased heart rate are described during both nightmares and flashbacks. These memories can occur spontaneously, or they may be precipitated by a trigger. A trigger may be a smell, sound, or sight that reminds the person of the event. (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,