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After exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which the individual was
exposed to extreme personal danger, an anxiety disorder by the name of Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder or PTSD can develop. Possible traumatic events leading to
PTSD include but are not limited to, personal assaults like rape or mugging,
accidents, military combat, or natural or human caused disaster. PTSD is
an anxiety disorder and though there is an entirely different section on
anxiety disorders listed below, we felt there was enough information on
this disorder for it to be discussed independently.
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About 3.6 percent
of U.S. adults ages 18 to 54 (5.2 million people) have PTSD
during the course of a given year. |
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About 30 percent
of the men and women who have spent time in war zones experience
PTSD. |
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People with PTSD
also experience emotional numbness and sleep disturbances, depression,
anxiety, and irritability or outbursts of anger. |
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PTSD is diagnosed
when symptoms last more than 1 month. PTSD can develop at any
age, including in childhood. |
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Symptoms typically
beginwithin 3 months of a traumatic event, although occasionally
they do not begin until years later. |
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Military troops
who served in Vietnam and Gulf Wars; rescue workers involved
in the cleanup of the 9/11 attacks, physical and sexual abuse
survivors, survivors of the 1989/1994 California earthquake
and North and South Dakota floods as well as Hurricane Hugo,
Andrew and the more recent hurricanes are all candidates for
developing PTSD. |
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Research supported
by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) is being conducted to develop effective
treatments to help people with PTSD. Research is also helping
scientists better understand the condition and how it affects
the brain and the rest of the body. |
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