What is PTSD?
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a fairly common psychological disorder in which a person experiences intense or disturbing thoughts or feelings related to a past traumatic event. These episodes often last long after the traumatic event itself. While PTSD has a high rate of occurrence in veterans, PTSD can affect anyone at any age if they have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event such as a natural disaster, serious accident, a terrorist act, war or combat, death threats, sexual violence, or serious injury.
PTSD is experienced by people of any gender, but women are up to 2 times more likely to be diagnosed with PTSD at some point in their life. PTSD also disproportionately affects U.S. Latinos, Black Americans, and Indigenous Americans.