What is PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a trauma-related mental health condition that can develop after experiencing, witnessing, or learning about traumatic events involving serious injury, death, sexual violence, abuse, or extreme threat. While many people recover naturally after trauma, others continue to experience symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, emotional numbness, hypervigilance, anxiety, avoidance, and difficulties feeling safe or emotionally connected.

Trauma can result from a single overwhelming event (such as a car accident, assault, or natural disaster) or from repeated and prolonged exposure to threatening or emotionally harmful situations, such as childhood abuse, domestic violence, bullying, or chronic neglect. Long-term trauma exposure may contribute to the development of complex PTSD (C-PTSD), which often involves deeper difficulties with emotional regulation, self-worth, trust, and relationships.

Many people with PTSD or complex PTSD struggle to understand why they continue reacting strongly long after the traumatic event has ended. Trauma can affect the nervous system, emotional regulation, relationships, identity, and even physical health. Some individuals may also develop related difficulties such as depression, panic attacks, dissociation, anxiety disorders, or features associated with borderline personality disorder, particularly when trauma occurred repeatedly during childhood or within unstable relationships.

PTSD is more common than many people realize. Research suggests that approximately 6–7% of people will develop PTSD at some point in their lives [3]. Trauma does not discriminate based on age, gender, culture, ethnicity, or background, and symptoms can affect anyone after overwhelming experiences.

On this page, we explain the differences between PTSD, complex PTSD (C-PTSD), and post-traumatic stress / acute stress disorder (PTS/ASD), including how symptoms develop, how long they typically last, and when professional treatment may be helpful.

 

 

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that significantly affects individuals’ lives. There are four symptom clusters: avoidance, numbing, hyperarousal, and re-experiencing/intrusive symptoms. 
• Complex PTSD is a developmental trauma disorder that can develop after repeated, chronic, or prolonged exposure to trauma, such as childhood sexual abuse or domestic violence. These types of traumas often trigger more complex reactions, including emotional self-regulation difficulties, negative self-concept, and relationship difficulties [4].
• Post-traumatic stress(also referred to as Acute Stress Disorder) is a condition people may experience after exposure to a traumatic event. For up to 30 days after the traumatic experience, individuals may have PTSD-like symptoms, but these usually subside within this period as the person processes the experience sufficiently. 

 

 

 

 

What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

Unlike what some people on social media might suggest, witnessing, experiencing, or learning about a traumatic event is not the same as having post-traumatic stress disorder. Sometimes an event can be shocking, disturbing, or unsettling, causing significant anxiety, distress, or panic—all normal reactions to traumatic experiences. Most people calm down within hours or days. However, for some, a traumatic event may affect them for more than a week (up to almost a month) before the symptoms disappear. In such cases, this condition is called acute stress disorder.

 

PTSD is a mental disorder that significantly impacts individuals’ lives. It can occur after someone experiences, witnesses, or learns about a traumatic event where there was exposure to (or a threat of) death, sexual violence, or serious injury [1]. Common examples of traumatic events include car accidents, natural disasters, sexual/physical/emotional abuse, and robbery.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013), PTSD includes four symptoms clusters:

• (1) avoidance,
• (2) intrusions (e.g., unwanted thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares).
• (3) negative alterations in cognitions and mood , and
• (4) alterations in arousal and reactivity,

For more information about these clusters, please go to: PTSD symptoms.

 

Individuals with PTSD may experience:

• Nightmares and flashbacks of the event
• Avoidance or numbing of traumatic memories
• Severe anxiety
• Hyperarousal
• Sleep disturbances

 

PTSD Prevalence

While almost everyone experiences traumatic events in their lifetime, most do not develop PTSD. Approximately 3–4.4% of people develop PTSD at some point in their lives (percentages may vary by country/region) [4],[5],[6]. PTSD symptoms typically disappear within a few weeks or months without treatment. However, for some, symptoms persist and interfere with daily functioning. Without proper treatment, PTSD can last for years.

To determine if you may have PTSD, complete our PTSD test for immediate results. We offer online PTSD, C-PTSD and PTS treatment.

 

PTSD vs. Trauma/Post-Traumatic Stress

Many individuals who experience a traumatic event (e.g., a car accident, combat, or kidnapping) do not meet the criteria for PTSD. These individuals may experience post-traumatic stress (PTS), also known as Acute Stress Disorder (ASD). While PTSD and PTS share similar symptoms, they are distinct conditions.

Shared symptoms between PTSD and PTS/ASD:

• Nervousness or fear
• Shaky hands
• Increased heart rate
• Sweating
• Avoiding reminders of the event
• Bad dreams about the trauma
• Difficulty focusing

 

The differences between PTSD and PTS/trauma are:

* For a detailed list of PTSD symptoms, please read: PTSD symptoms.

 

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If PTS symptoms persist, it’s advisable to seek professional support. A few counseling sessions can often help reprocess the traumatic event effectively.

 

PTSD vs. Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)

Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) is a long-term mental health disorder characterized by repeated, chronic, and prolonged exposure to social and/or interpersonal trauma (e.g., captivity, entrapment). These experiences can lead to feelings of helplessness, loss of control, and distortions in identity and self-perception.

C-PTSD Prevalence: Approximately 0.7–5.5% of adults have C-PTSD [4],[7],[8],[9],[10], with rates as high as 36% among adults in mental health treatment [4],[11].
Examples of Trauma Leading to C-PTSD:

• Sexual, physical, or emotional abuse
• Domestic violence
• Torture or captivity (e.g., concentration camps, hostage situations)
• Long-term bullying

Unlike PTSD, which can develop from a single event, C-PTSD arises from prolonged, inescapable traumatic experiences that often span months or years.

 

In other words: you can develop PTSD after a single traumatic event, such as an accident, but that event alone will not lead to complex PTSD. The development of complex PTSD is more likely if you have been in a traumatic situation for an extended period, where you felt unable to escape. Such situations can easily last for months or even years, and these prolonged experiences often lead to significant changes in personality.

People with complex PTSD may experience outbursts of anger, persistent sadness, and frequent suicidal thoughts. They might sometimes repress memories of the traumatic event or relive it through flashbacks. Feelings of guilt, shame, helplessness, and worthlessness are common. Those suffering from complex PTSD often struggle to trust others, and issues with intimacy are frequent. This may be accompanied by a tendency toward social and emotional isolation.

 

The difference between PTSD and C-PTSD

 

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While both PTSD and C-PTSD are treatable, C-PTSD often requires more intensive therapy, possibly combining different approaches such as DBT and EMDR. If you suspect you have C-PTSD, seek a trauma therapist with whom you feel comfortable.

 

Literature

[1] Dye, H. (2018). The impact and long-term effects of childhood trauma. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 28 (3), 381-392.

[2] American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., Text rev.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association

[3] Kessler RB. Lifetime Prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Achives of General Psychiatry. 2005; 62, (6):593–602.

[4] Cloitre M. ICD-11 complex post-traumatic stress disorder: simplifying diagnosis in trauma populations. The British Journal of Psychiatry. 2020;216(3):129-131. doi:10.1192/bjp.2020.43

[5] Kessler RC, Aguilar-Gaxiola S, Alonso J, Benjet C, Bromet EJ, Cardoso G, et al. Trauma and PTSD in the WHO world mental health surveys. Eur J Psychotraumatol, 8. 2017;(sup5):1353383

Literature – part 2

[6] Stein DJ, McLaughlin KA, Koenen KC, Atwoli L, Friedman MJ, Hill ED, et al. DSM-5 and ICD-11 definitions of posttraumatic stress disorder: investigating “narrow” and “broad” approaches. Depress Anxiety. 2014;31(6):494–505.

[7] Ben-Ezra M, Karatzias T, Hyland P, Brewin CR, Cloitre M, Bisson JI, et al. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) as per ICD-11 proposals: a population study in Israel. Depress Anxiety. 2018.

[8] Cloitre M, Hyland P, Bisson JI, Brewin CR, Roberts NP, Karatzias T, et al. ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder and complex posttraumatic stress disorder in the United States: a population-based study. J Trauma Stress. 2019;32(6):833–42.

[9] Hyland P, Karatzias T, Shevlin M, Cloitre M, Ben-Ezra M. A longitudinal study of ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD in the general population of Israel. Psychiatry Res. 2020;286:112871.

[10] Hyland P, Shevlin M, Fyvie C, Cloitre M, Karatzias T. The relationship between ICD-11 PTSD, complex PTSD and dissociative experiences. J Trauma Dissociation. 2020;21(1):62–72.

[11] Moller L, Augsburger M, Elklit A, Sogaard U, Simonsen E. Traumatic experiences, ICD-11 PTSD, ICD-11 complex PTSD, and the overlap with ICD-10 diagnoses. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2020;141(5):421–31.