Dealing with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health problem. It can occur after a person experiences a traumatic event such as a disaster, assault, or combat. While it is common to have some stress reactions after a traumatic event, if it disrupts daily life and does not go away over time, it is time to seek help.

Not everyone who goes through a traumatic event will have PTSD. Over half of the population experience trauma however, only a small percentage will develop PTSD. Some also carry with them the guilt of surviving the event.

A few symptoms of PTSD are feeling amped up, negative changes in feelings and beliefs, reliving the event, and avoiding reminders of the event. For some, they will get through their PTSD. This usually happens in the first year. Not everyone will get over their PTSD.

There are a variety of treatments for PTSD because no one treatment will work for everyone. The VA has developed a decision aid to guide people through understanding PTSD and selecting a treatment option that will be best for them. More information about PTSD and this decision aid is available at https://www.ptsd.va.gov/apps/Decisionaid/introduction.aspx.