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Stress Disorders occur when people experience events or situations by repeatedly reliving them. They affect many combat veterans, prisoners of war, hostages, victims of terrorism, torture, violence, rape, domestic violence, or people who may have witnessed a death or serious injury (Brown & Barlow, 2007).
Symptoms
Symptoms of Stress Disorders include nightmares, insomnia, poor concentration, irritability, explosive anger or aggression. When such reactions last less than a month after a traumatic event the problem is called Acute Stress Disorder.
If the symptoms last more than a month, the person is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Combat Vets Hit Especially Hard
If a situation causes distress, anxiety or fear, our natural reaction is to avoid it in the future. This is our survival instinct. However, PTSD victims never recover from these reactions (Yehuda, 2002). Military action is particularly likely to result in PTSD. The day-to-day threat of death and the horrifying experiences of war exact a terrible effect on people. Psychologists saw high rates of PTSD among soldiers involved in combat in Iraq (Hoge Et al., 2004). Eight percent of military veterans still suffer from PTSD decades after they participated in military combat. Nearly four percent of adults suffer from Post Traumatic Stress in any given year.
This report is not a diagnosis. We hope this information can guide you toward improving your life.
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