What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Post-traumatic stress is a series of symptoms that emerge after exposure to life-threatening or reality-shattering events such as military combat, physical or sexual assault, natural disasters, etc. Specifically, post-traumatic stress is an over-activation of our normal and adaptive fight or flight crisis response. Victims may believe that they are in immediate danger even when no threat of danger is present. Post-traumatic stress disorder affects 7.7 million adult Americans and a significant number of children as well. One study found that 3.7% of adolescent boys and 6.3% of adolescent girls had post-traumatic stress disorder. In the worst of cases, they completely disassociate from their present surroundings and believe themselves to be in the middle of our traumatic situation as if it was really happening to them again right then and there. A combat veteran may see the battlefield and hear the gunshots that seem as real to him as anything else he’s ever seen or heard.

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