June is PTSD Awareness Month!
In the United States, June is designated as PTSD Awareness Month and June 27th is the specific day designated for National PTSD Awareness.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition experienced by 7- 8% of the population. About 8 million American adults will have PTSD during any given year – which is only a small portion of those who’ve suffered through a traumatic event.
A traumatic event is defined as any experience that threatens your life or safety, or if you witness something horrible happening to someone else.
For example, here are a few types of traumatic events that could lead to development of PTSD:
- Military combat
- Sexual Assault
- Physical Assault
- Child Abuse
- Serious Car Accidents
- Natural Disasters (Hurricanes, Fires, Tornadoes, Floods, Earthquakes, Etc.)
- Terrorist Attacks
The similarity between all of these different types of events is the fact that you may not have control over what’s going on, causing extreme fear and panic.
Experiencing a traumatic event is not rare, in fact, half of the American population has been through a traumatic event at some point in their life. Out of those people, around 1 in 10 men develop PTSD along with 2 in 10 women.
Symptoms of PTSD include:
- Reliving the event
- Avoiding things that remind you of the event
- Having an increase of negative thoughts and feelings
- Always feeling on edge
If you’re experiencing these symptoms and you notice that they are lasting longer than a few months, or making you extremely upset, or they begin to disrupt your daily life, please talk to a doctor or mental health care provider.
Sources: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/basics/how-common-is-ptsd.asp
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/understanding_ptsd/booklet.pdf
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