Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Exposure to Trauma

PTSD can only occur if an individual has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event that overwhelms the person's defenses and coping skills. Traumatic events have two characteristics:

• 1.
  The person experiencing or witnessing the event is afraid that someone will be hurt or killed. Actual death or serious injury may occur.
• 2.
  The person feels intense fear, helplessness, and horror. Children may show agitation and disorganized behavior.

The fear of death or injury and feeling powerless to stop what is happening combine to make the event traumatic.

PTSD occurs as a result of trauma, but experiencing trauma does not necessarily lead to PTSD. Approximately 70% of people experience potentially traumatic events during their lives, but most do not develop PTSD (Saigh & colleagues, 1996). Different people react differently to traumatic events. Some people recover quickly, while others struggle with their reactions and feelings long after the event.

Some types of traumatic events are more difficult to cope with than others. People are more likely to have long-lasting problems as a result of trauma if it is repeated or if another person, especially a friend or family member, caused the trauma (Allen, 1995). Greater amounts of trauma lead to a greater likelihood of PTSD symptoms (Allen, 1995).

Reexperiencing the Trauma

Reexperiencing trauma happens when memories of the traumatic event keep coming back even though they are unwanted. These memories might be recollections that keep coming to mind or they might be flashbacks, when it seems as though the traumatic event is actually happening all over again. Children who have experienced trauma sometimes play out the event over and over again with toys or dolls, but their play is not satisfying or fun. People frequently have nightmares about traumatic events they have experienced.

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