Living with Your Partner's PTSD

When the Woman You Love is a Victim

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that affects victims of a traumatic event or events. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) approximates that about 3.6 percent of Americans, or 5.2 million people, between ages 18 to 54 have PTSD during the course of a given year. The condition also affects children and older adults, and can cause a wide range of symptoms. In victims of sexual abuse, molestation, and rape, as in other traumas, the symptoms carry over into everyday life and determine how the victim acts and reacts in situations. Living with the PTSD sufferer can be difficult and confusing, as the person’s emotions may appear irrational. It is a sad fact that the perpetrators make victims out of not only the person they traumatized, but also every person with whom the victim has future relationships. Failed friendships and family relations, and short-lived intimate relationships are common in women who have suffered sexual trauma. For their male boyfriends and husbands, understanding PTSD behavior is a crucial step to a lasting partnership.