What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop following a person's exposure to a psychologically distressing event or experience, usually diagnosed when symptoms last for at least one month.²²

Psychological effects are likely to be more severe if the trauma is:²

• Multifaceted
• Human caused
• Unpredictable
• Sadistic
• Undergone in childhood
• Perpetrated by a caregiver

Psychological stressors can cause a person to experience symptoms of overwhelming emotions, such as intense fear, terror or helplessness.¹

Symptoms fall within three categories: ¹

• Intrusion
• Avoidance
• Hyperarousal