Understanding The Causes And Risk Factors For Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs when an individual experiences a traumatic event and following the event, they may experience differences in their emotional responses, heightened anxiety, flashbacks, obsessive thoughts about the event, and other symptoms. The symptoms may start a few days or weeks after the event, but there have been cases where it's years before symptom onset. PTSD is famously seen in war veterans, but nearly a third of the population is estimated to experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetimes. The actual prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder is much higher and can occur in anyone.