You
can suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after exposure to
particularly traumatic events. The effects are accumulative. It produces
feelings of intense fear, helplessness, and horror brought about by reliving
those severely traumatic events from the past through dreams, nightmares or
flashbacks.
Traditionally it was
limited to:
-
The threat of death
or serious injury.
-
Witnessing death or
serious injury
-
Being told about the
death or injury of someone close or significant in the sufferer's life.
In recent years this
condition has been identified in a wider range of situations.
A traumatic event is
really anything unexpected that is outside your normal life experience. It
can include natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes as
well as violent crimes such as assault or rape. The more personal the
experience then the more severe the symptoms and the longer they last.