Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can happen after a traumatic event—like combat, assault, serious accidents, or disasters. It involves four main groups of symptoms: unwanted memories or nightmares, avoiding reminders, negative mood or thinking, and feeling on edge. Symptoms last more than a month and make day-to-day life harder.
PTSD affects people of all ages. In the U.S., about 8% of people will have PTSD at some point in life. Women are affected more often than men. Risk goes up with severe or repeated trauma, earlier trauma, limited social support, and family or personal history of mental health conditions.
A clinician reviews your history of trauma exposure and checks for the four symptom groups, how long they’ve lasted, and how much they interfere with life. PTSD is diagnosed when these symptoms persist for at least a month and cause real distress or impairment.
PTSD often occurs with depression, other anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders. It can also be linked with physical health problems like chronic pain or heart disease. This mix can make symptoms feel more intense and treatment more complex—but help is available.
There’s no single cause. PTSD reflects how trauma impacts the brain and body over time. Factors include:
Trauma-focused care such as Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and EMDR helps many people reduce symptoms and regain function.
SSRIs and SNRIs can help with mood, anxiety, and sleep. Your clinician may combine medication with therapy.
Some newer approaches (for example, specific brain-stimulation like dTMS or medicine-assisted therapies) are being studied and may be considered when standard treatments don’t help enough.
Stigma, lack of awareness, and limited access can delay diagnosis and treatment. Reaching out early, involving trusted supports, and finding trauma-informed care can make a big difference.
Many people improve a lot with the right treatment and support. PTSD can become long-lasting without care, and symptoms can flare during new stress. Sticking with treatment, building coping skills, and maintaining support systems help recovery and reduce relapse.