It has four letters that represent millions of Americans who are challenged by it everyday: PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Over 13 million American lives are affected by PTSD (PTSD Alliance, 2004).

PTSD can occur when an individual has lived through an overwhelming event where closely held values and assumptions about life became challenged. The following listing of traumatic events may be the precursors to PTSD: a serious car accident, rape, domestic violence, the loss of a job, involvement in a natural disaster, a death, a house fire, etc.

For many individuals, their human system of self-defense becomes disorganized and impacts adaptations to life that give a sense of control. Not all individuals develop PTSD from traumatic events. When specific symptoms are experienced past three months or more after a traumatic experience has passed, the individual may be suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. The problematic symptoms are: anxiety, flashbacks, poor concentration, depression, inability to relax or feel safe, helplessness, irritability, excessive worry, isolation, avoidance, and startled responses.

The symptoms of PTSD can cause severe problems of distress in the person's personal life and/or work. A PTSD diagnosis is one of the most prevalent mental disorders, surpassed by substance use disorders and depression. PTSD is often misdiagnosed and many individuals are given mental classifications of chronic anxiety or depression.

PTSD is often associated with Vietnam veterans. However, it is the American woman that is most affected by this mental challenge (PTSD Research Quarterly, 1996). Women have a higher prevalence of PTSD because of the types of traumatic events that they experience than the events that men usually report: rape, domestic violence, and sexual molestation in childhood. Women are more likely to report medical illnesses, be admitted to outpatient mental health facilities, and receive two thirds of the prescriptions for psychotropic medications such as Valium and Librium (American Psychiatric Association, 1999). In our society, the correlation of specific types of precipitating traumatic events in a woman's life and PTSD are scarcely addressed.

When a person has PTSD, their daily reality can be one of trying to regain a sense of control and normalcy. It is common for people to feel that no matter what they've faced or lived with, no matter how extreme, they should be able to carry on. But sometimes people face situations that are so traumatic that they may become unable to cope and function in their daily lives. Some people become so distressed by memories of the trauma - memories that won't go away - that they begin to live their lives trying to avoid any reminders of what happened to them.

Individuals with PTSD are often diagnosed for alcoholism, depression, anxiety, and drug addiction. They often feel shame, helplessness and inadequacy. To avoid these feelings, the individual can often isolate.