Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that develops in a minority of individuals following exposure to a life-threatening or other extremely distressing event. The disorder is characterized by four groups of symptoms: (a) reexperiencing the trauma; (b) avoidance and emotional numbing; (c) negative alterations in cognition and mood; and (d) persistent hyperarousal. Prevalence varies considerably depending on trauma type, with interpersonal violence (especially rape) consistently resulting in the highest rates. Risk factors for development and maintenance of PTSD include a combination of pretrauma, peritrauma, and posttrauma variables. A variety of evidence-based tr..