student asking question

What's "post-traumatic stress disorder"? Does it happen only because of the war?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

According to the American Psychiatric Association, "post-traumatic stress order," also known as PTSD, is a psychiatric disorder that occurs in people who have experienced or witness a traumatic event. Victims of war often suffer from PTSD, in addition to victims of natural disasters, sexual assault, accidents, or abuse. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and emotional numbness, and can also co-occur with other conditions like depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorder. Ex: During WWI, PTSD was not understood well by doctors. They called the trauma suffered by soldiers "shell shock". Ex: American studies have shown that women and minorities are more likely to experience PTSD.

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