But if these feelings keep you from getting on with your life and they don't start to fade away within a month, you may have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

If you have PTSD, you may keep replaying the event in your mind and go out of your way to avoid anything that might trigger memories of it.

If you think you have it, talk with your doctor as soon as you can. The sooner you get help, the more likely you are to feel better.

People often think that you only get PTSD if you've survived something terrifying, like a rape or a war. But you can also get it if someone close to you dies suddenly or if you've been told you have a serious illness.

Sometimes people who witness disasters get PTSD.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Yehuda R.
Post-traumatic stress disorder.
New England Journal of Medicine. 2002; 346: 108-114.

 

 

 

 

 

²

It's normal to feel frightened or anxious after something life-threatening happens to you, such as being in a plane crash or a flood. And it's normal to feel edgy and to have trouble sleeping. Having nightmares may also be part of getting over what's happened.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
O'Brien S.
Epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic illness.
In: Traumatic events and mental health. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 1998.

 

 

 

 

 

³ And you may not want to talk about what you've been through.

Although these feelings are upsetting, they usually fade after a few weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
O'Brien S.
Epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic illness.
In: Traumatic events and mental health. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 1998.

 

 

 

 

 

³

But if these feelings last for longer than a month, and if they keep you from getting on with your life, then you may need help.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
American Psychiatric Association.
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.
4th Edition. American Psychiatric Press Inc, Washington DC, USA; 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴ It's important to talk with your doctor right away, because early treatment can help to prevent PTSD.

The difference between PTSD and other feelings you might have after a frightening or stressful event is that PTSD keeps you from living a normal life. If you have PTSD you may:

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
American Psychiatric Association.
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.
4th Edition. American Psychiatric Press Inc, Washington DC, USA; 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

If you have symptoms like these for at least two days in the first month after you've been through a frightening event, your doctor may say that you have acute stress disorder.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
American Psychiatric Association.
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.
4th Edition. American Psychiatric Press Inc, Washington DC, USA; 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

The symptoms of acute stress disorder are similar to PTSD. But if you have this disorder, you're especially likely to feel as if you're in a daze or feel numb. You may find that you don't enjoy doing things that you usually like to do.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
American Psychiatric Association.
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.
4th Edition. American Psychiatric Press Inc, Washington DC, USA; 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

If you think you have acute stress disorder, it is important to get help as soon as possible. Sometimes, people who have acute stress disorder can go on to get PTSD.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
O'Brien S.
Epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic illness.
In: Traumatic events and mental health. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 1998.

 

 

 

 

 

³ But getting treatment early may help you keep from getting PTSD.

You may not get PTSD right away. Some people don't get it until months or years later, but this is less common.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
O'Brien S.
Epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic illness.
In: Traumatic events and mental health. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 1998.

 

 

 

 

 

³ It's more likely to happen if you felt lonely or if you didn't get much emotional support from your friends or family right after the event.

Children can get PTSD too. And if they don't get treatment, it can cause serious problems for them even once they grow up. It's much better for them to get treatment sooner rather than later. To find out more, see Children and PTSD.

PTSD is caused by different things in different people. And it is often caused by a combination of things.

Some of the events that are most commonly linked with PTSD are:

Some of these events are more likely to cause PTSD than others. For example, you are more likely to get PTSD if you are raped or see a terrorist attack than if you are in a car accident or someone close to you dies suddenly.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Yehuda R.
Post-traumatic stress disorder.
New England Journal of Medicine. 2002; 346: 108-114.

 

 

 

 

 

²

Even still, 4 in 10 people with PTSD will have gotten it because someone close to them died suddenly.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Yehuda R.
Post-traumatic stress disorder.
New England Journal of Medicine. 2002; 346: 108-114.

 

 

 

 

 

²

Some doctors think that you get PTSD because an event is so shocking that your brain can't cope with the stress.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Yehuda R.
Post-traumatic stress disorder.
New England Journal of Medicine. 2002; 346: 108-114.

 

 

 

 

 

²

Some people with PTSD have abnormal levels of chemicals called

 

 

 

 

 

hormones
Hormones are chemicals that are made in certain parts of the body. They travel through the bloodstream and have an effect on other parts of the body. For example, the female sex hormone estrogen is made in a woman's ovaries. Estrogen has many different effects on a woman's body. It makes the breasts grow at puberty and helps control periods. It is also needed to get pregnant.

 

 

 

 

 

hormones in their brain long after they've been through a traumatic event.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Yehuda R.
Neuroendocrine aspects of PTSD.
Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology. 2005; 169: 371-403.

 

 

 

 

 

⁵ Researchers think that the event may upset the balance of chemicals in your brain. But we don't know for sure whether this causes PTSD, or is the result of having PTSD.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
O'Brien S.
Epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic illness.
In: Traumatic events and mental health. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 1998.

 

 

 

 

 

³

Not everyone who lives through a frightening event gets PTSD.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
O'Brien S.
Epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic illness.
In: Traumatic events and mental health. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 1998.

 

 

 

 

 

³ And we don't know why some people get it and others don't.

But there are some things that make it more likely that you will get PTSD. These things are called risk factors. For example, if you were depressed before you went through an upsetting event or if you didn't get much support from your friends or family afterward, then you may be more likely to get PTSD.

It's important to remember that even if you have a risk factor and live through a frightening event, it doesn't mean you will definitely get PTSD.

To find out more, see Risk factors for PTSD.

The information on ConsumerReportsHealth.org should not be viewed as a substitute for a consultation with a medical or health professional. The information is meant to enhance communication with your doctor, not replace it. Consumers Union can not be liable for any loss, injury, or other damages related to your use of this information.

Your use of this information is subject to our User Agreement available at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org.