What is PTSD?

PTSD is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is a disorder that surfaces after experiencing a very  dangerous, frightening, and uncontrollable event, such as military combat, a violent crime or seeing a violent crime scene, accident, such as a car wreck, criminal or sexual assault, a terrorist, attack, or a natural disaster such as a tornado, flood, hurricane, or earthquake.

Not everybody who is exposed to traumaneeds intervention. For those affected, if not addressed, PTSD symptoms, over time, can seriously impact even routine daily functions. This places one at risk for self-medication, abuse of alcohol, drugs, unemployment, underemployment, domestic violence, homelessness, incarceration, and suicide.

Unchecked symptoms can lead to physical health problems such as chronic pain, hypertension (high blood pressure), sleep disorders, and cardiovascular disease.