Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: MedlinePlus

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: MedlinePlus

PTSD Awareness

Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a real illness that can happen to anyone who has experienced a traumatic event. PTSD causes problems like flashbacks, anxiety, and trouble sleeping. These symptoms can start at any time after the traumatic event and may last for years. Learning to cope with PTSD is an important step in recovering.

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Traumatic events and children

Related Health Topics

• Stress
• Veterans and Military Health

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is the National Institute of Mental Health

Other Languages

Find health information in languages other than English on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

• Confronting 9/11 Trauma from Childhood into Adulthood
• Depression, Guilt, Anger: Know the Signs of PTSD
• Traumatic Stress: New Roads to Recovery
• Traumatic Stress: Recovery and Treatment

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Summary

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a real illness. You can get PTSD after living through or seeing a traumatic event, such as war, a hurricane, sexual assault, physical abuse, or a bad accident. PTSD makes you feel stressed and afraid after the danger is over. It affects your life and the people around you.

PTSD can cause problems like

• Flashbacks, or feeling like the event is happening again
• Trouble sleeping or nightmares
• Feeling alone
• Angry outbursts
• Feeling worried, guilty, or sad

PTSD starts at different times for different people. Signs of PTSD may start soon after a frightening event and then continue. Other people develop new or more severe signs months or even years later. PTSD can happen to anyone, even children.

Treatment may include talk therapy, medicines, or both. Treatment might take 6 to 12 weeks. For some people, it takes longer.

NIH: National Institute of Mental Health

Start Here

• Dealing With Trauma: Recovering From Frightening Events  (National Institutes of Health)Also in Spanish
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder  (National Institute of Mental Health)Also in Spanish
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• What Can I Do If I Think I Have PTSD? (National Center for PTSD)

Diagnosis and Tests

• How Is PTSD Measured? (National Center for PTSD)
• Mental Health Screening  (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Antipsychotic drugs a last resort for these 5 conditions (ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia and PTSD) (Consumers Union of U.S.)
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder  (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Treatment(Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health & Traumatic Brain Injury)

Living With

• Coping with Traumatic Stress Reactions (National Center for PTSD)Also in Spanish
• PTSD Treatment Programs in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (National Center for PTSD)
• Tips for Survivors of a Traumatic Event: Managing Your Stress(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - PDF

Related Issues

• Abuse, Maltreatment and PTSD and Their Relationship to Migraine (American Migraine Foundation)
• Chronic Pain and PTSD: A Guide for Patients (National Center for PTSD)
• Common Reactions After Trauma (National Center for PTSD)Also in Spanish
• Disaster Rescue and Response Workers (National Center for PTSD)
• Effects of PTSD on Family (National Center for PTSD)Also in Spanish
• Other Common Problems (National Center for PTSD)

Specifics

• Returning from the War Zone: A Guide for Families of Military Members(National Center for PTSD) - PDF
• Returning from the War Zone: A Guide for Military Personnel (National Center for PTSD) - PDF

Videos and Tutorials

• About Face  (National Center for PTSD)
• PTSD: National Center for PTSD  (Department of Veterans Affairs)

Statistics and Research

• How Common Is PTSD? (National Center for PTSD)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic  (National Institutes of Health)

Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Using Speech Markers to Diagnose PTSD. 
• Article: Post-traumatic stress disorder in living donors after pediatric liver transplantation: A... 
• Article: Avoidance learning and classical eyeblink conditioning as model systems to explore... 
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder -- see more articles 
• -- see more articles 

Find an Expert

• Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Services Locator(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
• Help for Mental Illnesses  (National Institute of Mental Health)
• National Center for PTSD 
• National Institute of Mental Health 

Children

• Childhood Traumatic Grief (National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Nemours Foundation)
• PTSD in Children and Teens (National Center for PTSD)
• Understanding Traumatic Stress in Children (National Center on Family Homelessness) - PDF

Teenagers

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Nemours Foundation)

Women

• Issues Specific to Women (National Center for PTSD)
• Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Postpartum Support International)

Older Adults

• Aging Veterans and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms (National Center for PTSD)

Patient Handouts

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Traumatic events and children (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish