Ptsd
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that can develop after a person is exposed to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, or other threats on a person's life.
Pronunciation
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is pronounced as /poʊst trɔːˈmætɪk strɛs dɪsˈɔːrdər/.
Etymology
The term "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder" comes from the Greek word "trauma" meaning "wound" and the Latin "post" meaning "after". The term was first used in the 1970s to describe the symptoms experienced by Vietnam War veterans.
Symptoms
Symptoms of PTSD may include disturbing thoughts, feelings, or dreams related to the events, mental or physical distress to trauma-related cues, attempts to avoid trauma-related cues, alterations in how a person thinks and feels, and an increase in the fight-or-flight response. These symptoms last for more than a month after the event. Young children are less likely to show distress but instead may express their memories through play.
Related Terms
- Trauma: A deeply distressing or disturbing experience.
- Anxiety: A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.
- Depression: A mental health disorder characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life.
- Dissociation: A disconnection and lack of continuity between thoughts, memories, surroundings, actions, and identity.
- Flashback: A sudden and disturbing vivid memory of an event in the past, typically as the result of psychological trauma or taking LSD.
Treatment
Treatment for PTSD may involve psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of both. Psychotherapy treatments include cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Medications used include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and mood stabilizers.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Ptsd
- Wikipedia's article - Ptsd
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