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Complications of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

What Happens When Someone Has it?

Apr 9, 2009 Naheed Ali

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychological condition that develops as a consequence of a horrible, life-threatening, frightening, or otherwise traumatic experience

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) sufferers re-experience the traumatic event or events in some form, tend to keep away from places, social gatherings, and other things that remind them of these events (avoidance), and are usually very sensitive to conventional life experiences (this is called hyperarousal).

The Real Definition of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Although PTSD has likely existed ever since human beings have experienced trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder has been looked upon as an official diagnosis since 1980. Nevertheless, it was referred to using different names as early as the American Civil War, during which combat soldiers were considered to be suffering from "soldier's heart."

In World War I, problems and issues that were generally consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder were considered to arise from "combat fatigue." Veterans who developed such problems and issues in World War II were proclaimed to be suffering from "gross mental stress reaction," while many who fought in the Vietnam War who had problems similar to what is now termed PTSD were assessed as suffering from "post-Vietnam syndrome."

Post-traumatic stress disorder has also been termed "battle fatigue" as well as "shell shock." Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) usually comes about from extended exposure to a traumatic event or series thereof and is therefore characterized by long-lasting issues with many aspects of psychological and emotional functioning.

Approximately 7-8% of Americans will likely develop post-traumatic stress disorder in their lives, with the lifetime occurrence (prevalence) mostly in combat soldiers and rape victims. PTSD ranges from ten percent to as high as thirty percent in victims of sexual abuse or rape. Somewhat higher rates of this illness have been demonstrated to occur in visitors from Africa, Hispanics, and Native Americans when compared to Caucasians in the U.S.

Some of that discrepancy is believed to be due to greater rates of dissociation before and after the traumatic incident (peritraumatic cases). There is a tendency for patients from minority groups to blame themselves, have less emotional support, and increased perception of racism for those ethnic groups. There are also differences of how ethnic groups will express their distress or emotion.

The Status of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder impacts approximately 5 million patients who suffer from PTSD at any one time in the U.S., and the fact that females are twice as likely to contract post-traumatic stress disorder as males doesn’t make things any better.

About half of all patients who use outpatient mental-health clinics have been demonstrated to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. As evidenced from the occurrence of mental stress in many patients in U.S. States in the days after the 9-11 attacks, being absent at a traumatic occurrence doesn't guarantee that such a person can’t and won't eventually suffer from PTSD.

Post-traumatic stress disorder statistics in youngsters and adolescents reveal that more than 40% of children have probably experienced a minimum of one traumatic incident, resulting in the contraction of post-traumatic stress disorder in up to 15% of female adolescents and 6% of male children. On average, 3-6% of high school students in the U.S. States and as many as 30-60% of kids who have survived certain disasters have the disorder.

Up to 100% of kids who have seen a parent killed and have experienced sexual assault or abuse tend to become patients of PTSD. Lastly, more than one-third of adolescents who are repeatedly exposed to community violence are going to suffer from the illness.