Post-traumatic stress disorder

After a dangerous or scary event, it is normal to feel upset, afraid, and anxious. For most people, these feelings fade within a few weeks. But some people continue to have these feelings for months or years afterward. They may keep reliving the event and avoid items and places that might remind them of what happened. This is called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Women are about twice as likely as men to develop PTSD in their lifetimes.1