POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER Definition & Meaning

posttraumatic stress disorder

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A psychological disorder affecting individuals who have experienced or witnessed profoundly traumatic events, such as torture, murder, rape, or wartime combat, characterized by recurrent flashbacks of the traumatic event, nightmares, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, forgetfulness, and social withdrawal.

posttraumatic stress disorder

A psychological disorder in which a person continues to respond with distress to a traumatic event long after that event has occurred. The affected person may reexperience the event in their thoughts or dreams and exhibit a heightened state of arousal characteristic of extreme stress . Combat and rape are two of the most common causes of this disorder.

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Notes

PTSD was formalized as a disorder after the Vietnam War , when returning soldiers would often continue to show the signs of stress long after they had left the military.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Zack’s lawyers sought to stop the execution, arguing he is a victim of fetal alcohol syndrome and posttraumatic stress disorder.

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Defense attorneys have argued that Zack suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome and posttraumatic stress disorder, which make Zack impulsive and cause him to be under constant emotional and mental distress.

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Implanted stimulation devices are also being studied for other conditions, including posttraumatic stress disorder and depression.

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That loss could “be a major blow to everything that’s been built up,” says Stefan Jansen, a psychologist at the University of Rwanda involved with an H3Africa project on posttraumatic stress disorder.

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Clinical case studies have also linked smells to strong negative emotions, a connection which can play a significant role in contributing to posttraumatic stress disorder.

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