Traumatic Stress Reactions can occur after many different types of experience, both recent and long past. The most well described is PTSD.

PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. "Our conceptualisation of the disorder will continue to evolve, both with new scientific discoveries and with changes in the professional environments within which patients suffering from PTSD are treated". (Hales & Zatzick, 1997, Am J Psychiatry - Editorial).

PTSD can be classified as a syndrome with 6 elements (DSMV-IV; 1994)

It has been estimated that 1-1.3% of the general population have clinically diagnosable PTSD at any one time. There are of course many other reactions after a traumatic event has occurred, for example:

Traumatic Stress Reactions

    Traumatic Stress Reactions can occur after many different types of experience, both recent and long past. The most well described is PTSD.

What is PTSD?

    PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. "Our conceptualisation of the disorder will continue to evolve, both with new scientific discoveries and with changes in the professional environments within which patients suffering from PTSD are treated". (Hales & Zatzick, 1997, Am J Psychiatry - Editorial).

    PTSD can be classified as a syndrome with 6 elements (DSMV-IV; 1994)

1. There is experience of a traumatic event in which the person has experienced or witnessed an event that invoked actual or threatened death or serious injury to the self or others and their response included intense fear, helplessness or horror.
2. There are intrusive recollections in the form of thoughts, nightmares or flashbacks in which the person feels as if he or she is reliving the traumatic experience.
3. The person may attempt to avoid external reminders or suppress internal responses to prompts.
4. There is increased arousal and hypervigilance with associated difficulties in sleeping, concentrating and an exaggerated startle response.
5. The symptoms described above last for more than one month.
6. The symptoms described above cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other areas of functioning.

    It has been estimated that 1-1.3% of the general population have clinically diagnosable PTSD at any one time. There are of course many other reactions after a traumatic event has occurred, for example: 

• Depressive illness
• Grief reactions
  • Agoraphobia
  • Alchohol/drug dependence
  • Panic attacks
  • Brief hypomania
  • Specific phobias