What is PTSD?

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) refers to the psychological response that can result when a person is exposed to an overwhelming event or series events, that are in many cases both life threatening and catastrophic. These events include war, natural disasters, rape or physical violence. In most cases, individuals who develop PTSD will experience flashback or nightmares about the event; they are easily startled, and will often say that they feel "empty" or "dead inside". It is important to realize that these symptoms are a normal and predictable response to an event that is beyond what any person could ever tolerate.