Updated January 2026
Welcome to class, everyone!
Here we explore mental health awareness by seeking to understand various diagnoses found within the holy bible of psychology, the DSM-V.
Today’s class topic: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
What is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder?
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is commonly known as “shell-shock” or “combat fatigue”. It affects 3.5 percent of Americans every year, which is roughly over 11,630,000 people. And contrary to popular belief, it isn’t a disorder exclusive to those who’ve served in the military.
According to the DSM-V, PTSD is a trauma disorder with eight criteria. One of the main criteria is exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence either witnessed in person or first-hand, repeated or extreme exposure to graphic details about a traumatic event, or hearing that a close family member or friend suffered through a traumatic ordeal.
These traumatic events can include experiences like acts of violence of abuse, terror attacks, and mass shootings. It may be natural disaster experiences like hurricanes and tsunamis, or could be life-changing events like car crashes ending in injuries.
It is normal to feel afraid during and after traumatic events. Fear is a part of our survival response that helps us avoid or respond to potential danger. When symptoms related to the past event still linger months or years later, and begin interfering with daily life, a diagnosis of PTSD might be considered.
Does it only affect Veterans or soldiers in the military?
When the topic of PTSD comes up in conversation, it is highly likely many people link Veterans or those actively serving in the military to be the first group that comes to mind. Being in the military is not an exclusive club for those suffering or enduring living with PTSD. This disorder can occur at any age, for anyone, who has encountered serious events (like physical/sexual assault, natural disasters, war, and death). The flight-freeze-flight-fawn feelings may not dissipate after the dangerous event has long since passed.
Suffering abuse is a traumatic event. Witnessing an accident ending in severe injury, fatality, or even the threat of death being present is a traumatic event. If the brain goes, “whoa, this is a lot to process, and there’s not any time to process it; we have to act now and deal with the repercussions later!” It’s a traumatic event, plain and simple. Age, occupation, and status does not matter when it comes to mental health.
Bottom line, if it registers as a traumatic event for you, it is.
The Root
The root cause of PTSD is a trauma reaction. It is a split-second response to an overwhelming, outer threat that either affected you or you saw it affect someone else. Genetics, a lack of social support, and a history of trauma and/or past mental health issues like anxiety or depression may increase chances of developing PTSD.
Think of having PTSD like a broken cassette tape, and for the younger generations, think of it as a spotty Wi-Fi connection. You’ll get bits and pieces, but not the whole picture. It won’t work correctly, but you will remember the feelings associated with it. It’s what’s known as pattern-separation. It is fear overgeneralized, and it can get triggered because the brain has difficulty separating harmless cues from actual threat.
Symptoms that point to a PTSD diagnosis include: recurrent, involuntary and intrusive distressing memories about the event, engagement in reckless or destructive behavior, heightened hypervigilance, and dissociative reactions that can include flashbacks, derealization, and depersonalization regarding the event.
It also includes efforts to avoid stimuli associated with the traumatic event, negative alterations in perception of oneself or a persistent negative emotional state, prolonged psychological distress and/or physiological reactions when reminded of the event, and/or an inability to remember important aspects of the traumatic event(s) that is typically due to dissociative amnesia.
In many cases of PTSD, it is known as a root for separate diagnoses of anxiety and depression disorders, as many of the symptoms overlap. Symptoms lasting longer than a month and causing distress in important areas of functioning that are not due to the effects of a medical condition or substance use would result in a PTSD diagnosis.
The Presentation
Symptoms of PTSD can hide in plain sight, as many other mental health illnesses do, until a trigger activates a reminder of the event(s) that caused it. For some, engaging in daily activities can be a struggle, including eating and sleeping. Co-occurring conditions like depression, anxiety, and substance use are common. With PTSD, the intense feelings of terror, dread, or anxiety can force someone to find any outlet to escape the pain, up to and including anything that may become detrimental to themselves.
Individuals may relive memories of the tragic event(s) through flashbacks, nightmares, and night terrors. They may startle easily, be “on edge”, feel disconnected from others, or lash out in angry outbursts. Others may react by avoiding areas or things that remind them of the event.
These are short-term fixes, a way for an individual to feel like they have control over their brain. The longer it occurs, though, the more likely it is that the support system a person has may vanish if the true reason for these coping mechanisms are not shared.
Diagnosis and Treatment
There are multiple paths for treatment after diagnosis. The main focus for many treatments are psychotherapies that work on exposure and/or cognitive restructuring. CPT, cognitive processing therapy, challenges those to modify and rewrite dysfunctional thoughts and unhelpful beliefs related to the trauma. Over time, this will lesson the PTSD’s hold over interrupting daily functions in life.
CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy, focuses on identifying and changing patterns of thoughts, behaviors, and feelings linked to causing difficulties in daily functioning. A type of CBT involves prolonged exposure, a gradual approach to processing trauma-related feelings, memories, and situations. This teaches the individual not to avoid situations or stressors entirely. Through practice, the individual finds it easier to process and handle reactions, leading to a decreased hypervigilance about encountering a known trigger.
Medications may also be considered, though not everyone may choose this option. These are recommended as a path to take in addition to psychotherapy, if the individual needs it to maintain balance in other aspects, like dealing with depression or anxiety.
Additional Tips
Outside of therapy, there are ways to reduce stress to ensure a healthy recovery – though healing is not linear, and it is important to remember that there are always good days and bad days. How you react with both will help the healing journey: celebrate the wins on good days, and be kind to yourself on bad days.
Self-care comes highly recommended. Establish a routine that works for you regarding meals, exercise, meditation, and sleep. Plan to visit events that bring you joy, and create little self-care tidbits at home: for some, that looks like having a family game night. For others, it may look like an hour soaking in the tub with champagne with no interruptions. Balancing is key.
Finding and joining a local support group in your area, even online, can help ease the burden of feeling isolated and give you daily reminders that there is a community willing to help.
Avoid the use of overconsumption of alcohol or drugs if you can help it. Unless your doctor prescribes or approves you of either of these, keep their usage to a minimum.
Remind yourself of what is in your control, and focus your efforts on that instead of what is not within your control. Your brain sometimes just needs a reminder that it is, in fact, in control of your life.
Remember, there is strength in reaching out for help.
Class dismissed.