Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop in people of any age following an incident of an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic nature (What causes PTSD?). It does not usually develop following generally upsetting situations such as divorce, loss of job or failing an exam. Symptoms often develop immediately after the traumatic event but the onset of symptoms may be delayed in around 15% of people.
Symptoms must have lasted for at least a month before a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can be considered.
PTSD is a formally recognised psychiatric condition which may result from an exposure to a traumatic event. PTSD is identified by three characteristic clusters of symptoms: (PTSD Symptoms)
- Intrusive recollections of the trauma.
- Physiological arousal
- Numbing / withdrawal / avoidance.
PTSD affects men, women and children from all walks of life. It is estimated that around 70% of people will be exposed to a traumatic event in their lifetime. Of these, up to 30% will go on to develop PTSD.
In fact, at any given time approximately 5% of the population will be suffering from PTSD.