Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) refers to the delayedreaction, sometimes for longer than 6 months, to a highly stressful or lifethreatening event. Often the causes for PTSD are myriad and distasteful, andmore than 40 million women in Americasuffer from it. Although childhood abuse and sexual abuse is a common cause ofPTSD, other events which cause psychological trauma can also trigger thedisorder. These include life threatening accidents, wars or natural disasters.



PTSD usually occurs following a stressful or traumatic eventthat is highly severe, and often survivors and witnesses of such events willonly start showing symptoms of PTSD after a few months. The reasons for thiswould be due to the event being perceived as dangerous and outside of theindividual’s control, leading to feelings of helplessness and extreme anxiety.

Due to the severity of the event or disaster, the inabilityof the person to avoid or cope with the trauma is such that it results in PTSD.Due to the immense negative impact, the person will avoid any situation ortrigger that might remind them of the event. Whilst it has been attributed tointernal conflict, recent research has shown that these psychological conditionsare actually due to past traumatic events. Further, it is likely that theextreme stress experienced during the event has resulted in physical damage tothe hippocampus, the part of the brain that deals with the emotions of fear andstress.

For a person who is suffering from PTSD, any spur of eventoccurring can trigger manifestations and he will suffer from the traumaticevent both physiologically and psychologically. There will be repeatedflashbacks of the event, and being subjected to this experience will cause abehavioral change eventually. These take the form of amnesia, listlessness anda need to isolate themselves.  

For children suffering from PTSD, they are likely toexperience nightmares, memory fragmentation, hypertension, flashbacks, amnesia,panic attacks and some may turn to substance abuse to avoid memories of theevent. Most victims will suffer from a range of effects, such as physiological,psychological, social and self destructive behaviors.

Physiological outcomes take the form of a change in thebrain activity, structure and functioning, also known as neurobiologicaleffects. There may also by psychophysiological effects, such as hyper arousal,increased propensity to be startles and increased neurohormonal changes whichleads to greater stress and depression. It is often easy to overlookphysiological outcomes as they take the form of physical issues such asheadaches or lightheadedness and are treated accordingly.

Psychological outcomes include depression, anxietydisorders, eating disorders and dissociation, where the individual seeks tohide from the present by submerging into their selves. Other social indicatorsinclude low self esteem, substance abuse and an inability to form interpersonalrelationships. At its extreme, the individual may turn to self destructivebehavior and attempt suicide, or take part in self injury and risky behaviorsthat can lead to death.

If the individual is diagnosed with PTSD, there is treatmentand help available in the form of stress medications and therapy. These aim tocorrect the physical, physiological and psychological effects experienced andaim to integrate the person back into their current lives.