PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that develops in some people after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying, life-threatening, or deeply disturbing event. **Types of traumatic events:** - Combat exposure - Physical or sexual assault - Serious accidents - Natural disasters - Childhood abuse - Witnessing violence or death - Sudden death of a loved one - Medical trauma **Not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD.** About 60% of men and 50% of women experience at least one trauma in their lives, but only a portion develop PTSD. The condition involves: 1. **Re-experiencing symptoms**: Flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive memories 2. **Avoidance**: Staying away from reminders of the trauma 3. **Negative changes in thinking/mood**: Guilt, shame, emotional numbness 4. **Arousal/reactivity changes**: Being easily startled, hypervigilant, sleep problems **Complex PTSD:** Develops from prolonged, repeated trauma (like childhood abuse or domestic violence). Includes additional symptoms: difficulty regulating emotions, negative self-perception, and relationship problems.

PTSD develops when the brain's normal trauma processing becomes stuck: **Normal trauma response:** After trauma, most people experience distressing symptoms that naturally resolve over weeks as the brain processes the experience. The traumatic memory becomes integrated into past experiences. **Why PTSD develops:** In PTSD, the brain's fear circuits remain in "danger mode." The memory is not properly processed and remains vivid and present, as if the trauma is happening now. **Risk factors for developing PTSD:** - Severity and duration of trauma - Personal history of mental health problems - Childhood trauma - Lack of social support after trauma - Additional life stressors - Biological vulnerability **Brain changes in PTSD:** - Overactive amygdala (fear response) - Underactive prefrontal cortex (rational thinking) - Smaller hippocampus (memory processing) - Dysregulated stress hormones (cortisol) **Why certain memories intrude:** Traumatic memories are stored differently—fragmented and sensory rather than narrative. Triggers (sounds, smells, situations) activate these fragments, causing flashbacks and intense emotional reactions.