Post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychiatric illness that can occur following a traumatic event in which there was threat of injury or death to you or someone else.
PTSD may occur soon after a major trauma, or can be delayed for more than six months after the event. When it occurs soon after the trauma it usually resolves after three months, but some people experience a longer-term form of the condition, which can last for many years.
PTSD can occur at any age and can follow a natural disaster such as flood or fire, or events such as war or imprisonment, assault, domestic abuse, or rape. These kinds of events produce stress in anyone, but not everyone develops PTSD.
