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After people experience a very stressful event, they may feel that they should be able to move on and "just handle it" or "get over it." Some experiences, however, are so traumatic that some individuals have serious problems coping and functioning in their daily lives afterward. They may have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The August 1, 2007, issue of JAMA is a theme issue on violence and human rights. This Patient Page is based on one previously published in the August 2, 2006, issue of JAMA.

WHAT IS POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)?

Posttraumatic stress disorder is the development of characteristic symptoms that last for more than 1 month, along with difficulty functioning after exposure to a life-threatening experience.

SYMPTOMS

• Intrusion—memories of the trauma or "flashbacks" that occur unexpectedly; these may include nightmares or physical reactions such as a racing heart
  
• Avoidance—avoiding people, places, thoughts, or activities that bring back memories of the trauma; . . . [Full Text of this Article]