What is trauma?
Trauma can occur when an individual experiences a life-threatening event or witnesses someone else’s life-threatening event. Some examples of traumatic events are:
- Active combat
- Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse
- Serious accidents
- Grave illnesses
- Natural disasters
- Terrorist attacks
- Mass shootings
- Relationship traumas include childhood abandonment, being abused in childhood, or being bullied.
What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
After a traumatic or upsetting experience, many people experience a change in mood, problems sleeping or suffer from recurring memories of the event. This can make it difficult to manage life in the way they did before the trauma, and it can interfere with work, school, and interacting with family and friends. This is normal and often improves over several months. Sometimes, people find that these symptoms do not go away alone. When that happens, it is important to reach out to a mental health provider who can evaluate and treat PTSD.
Read more information on PTSD and view videos on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website
