Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

In a college psychology class I had a little while ago, I wrote a reaction paper on one of the topics we talked about in class. I picked post traumatic stress disorder. So, here are some excerpts from my reaction paper - some facts about PTSD and my reaction to it.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a stress/anxiety disorder that can occur after a person has experienced a traumatic event, such as combat, 9/11, or abuse where the person experiences fear or helplessness. PTSD can cause flashbacks, and depression. Symptoms of PTSD can last from months to years after the event occurred. Also, PTSD is the most common diagnosis of patients who have experienced a traumatic event, and for a patient to be diagnosed they must be suffering from certain symptoms for at least one month after the trauma (1).

I have not experienced any life-threatening traumas nor have I had PTSD. However, I feel strongly about PTSD because I know people who have experienced trauma. I believe that PTSD is a serious psychological problem and people who have it or think they have it should seek help, because it can not only affect them but it can affect those around them too.