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Find out what PTSD is. Don't deny symptoms of PTSD just because you weren't in the military. Determine how long it has been since your stressful experience. Be aware of the risk factors that can make you more prone to PTSD.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental illness that you can develop after going through a frightening and disturbing experience. After a traumatic situation, it is perfectly normal to feel a myriad of negative emotions such as confusion, sadness, aggravation, helplessness, sorrow and others – this is the regular psychological reaction that people go through when faced with a traumatic situation. However, those feelings should pass with time. With PTSD, those emotional responses get more severe rather than disappearing.  PTSD generally occurs when the event that you experience is frightening and life-threatening. The longer you are exposed to the trauma, the more likely you are to develop PTSD. Look for literature and resources to help you better understand PTSD. Since PTSD has long been associated with combat veterans, some people who have not been in war fail to identify their symptoms.  If you have recently experienced a traumatic, frightening, or scarring experience, you might be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, PTSD doesn’t just happen to the actual victims of a life-threatening experience. Sometimes, if you only witnessed a terrifying event or had to deal with the aftermath, you may develop PTSD.  Common events that trigger PTSD include sexual assault, being threatened with a weapon, natural disasters, sudden loss of a loved one, car and airplane crashes, torture, combat, or witnessing a murder. It is important to note that most people who struggle with PTSD develop the disorder because of an act that was committed by another person, rather than a natural disaster. As mentioned before, it is normal to have strong negative feelings after you go through something terrible. Within the first several weeks, this is called acute stress disorder. Nonetheless, after about a month passes, those negative feelings generally start to fade. PTSD becomes a concern when those feelings get stronger after more than a month has passed. PTSD is strange in that two people can go through the exact same experience, but one person develops PTSD while the other does not. There are some factors that can make you more likely to develop PTSD if you experience a traumatic event. It is important to remember that not everyone develops PTSD, even if these factors pertain to them. These factors include:  A history of psychological issues within your family. If you have relatives that suffer from anxiety or depression, you may have a higher risk of developing PTSD. The individualized way you respond to stress. Stress is normal, but some people have bodies that create larger amounts of chemicals and hormones that can cause abnormal reactions to stress. Other experiences you have had. If you have gone through other life traumas such as childhood abuse or neglect, this new trauma might only add to the horror you felt in the past, leading to PTSD.