Experiencing a traumatic event isn’t rare. In fact, about 10 out of every 100 women develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) sometime in their lives, compared with 4 of every 100 men, reports the National Center for PTSD. Even more alarming, 5 million children are exposed to a traumatic event in the United States every year, amounting to 1.8 million new cases of PTSD.
Of course, this is only a small portion of those who have gone through an individual traumatic event like a car accident, child birth, sexual assault, domestic violence (or witnessed violence), war, or a natural disaster, among other things.
Although it’s true, many factors can contribute to the overall risk and symptom severity associated with PTSD. Research shows that persons with certain pre-existing abnormalities in the brain’s stress-response system may be predisposed to develop a mental illness when triggered by a shocking occurrence.
All the more diverse – the symptoms one suffering from PTSD may face: