Most of have heard the term Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. Based on the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs an estimated 7.8 percent of Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives. We commonly associate PTSD with soldiers who have fought in wars and about 30 percent of the men and women who have spent time in war zones experience PTSD. (Nebraska Department of Veterans' Affairs. (2007). However, no one is immune to it. Other traumatic events can also cause PTSD. The general knowledge required to understand PTSD include: what it is, possible causes, symptoms and current treatment options.
What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
According the Department of Veteran Affairs, PTSD can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something terrible and scary that you see, hear about or that happens to you. During a traumatic event, you think that your life or others' lives are in danger. You may feel afraid or feel that you have no …show more content…
However, some do not and suffer from PTSD. Is there predetermined risk factors? Some say there is risk factors that give you a higher chance of experiencing it. Some say it has to do with genetics. Your age and gender can play a role. Others say it has to do with what is going on in your life at the time of trauma. If you have had prior traumas in your life and the extent of the trauma that is being experienced. According to Terence M. Keane, Brian P. Marx, and Denise M. Sloanhe, there is no single cause for PTSD. Though factors there are factors that account for these differences. They can be divided into three major categories: (1) preexisting factors inherent to the individual; (2) factors related to the traumatic event, including one’s immediate response during the trauma; and (3) events that occur following the trauma. (Shiromani, P. J., LeDoux, J. E., & Keane, T. M.