What is PTSD? Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is most often associated with soldiers, however they're only a small segment of the population who suffer from it. PTSD is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event or series of events — either by experiencing them or witnessing them. In popular culture, PTSD is brought on a single event however for most people it's multiple events or even a pattern of events that feels inescapable. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about what happened. Most people who go through traumatic events may have temporary difficulty adjusting and coping, but with time and good self-care, they usually get better. If the symptoms get worse, last for months or even years, and interfere with your day-to-day functioning, you may have PTSD.   Memories or flashbacks trigger PTSD Another mundane day in the office; stocking patient rooms, prepping a few IV lines because our intel is that we had 75/25 chance of getting rocketed tonight, sweeping the Iraqi dust out of our makeshift aid station, when suddenly my  heart starts pounding, tears spring to my eyes and I feel out of control. I had been having difficulty sleeping, plagued with nightmares but just chalked it up to being homesick and missing my son.  This is different…I can’t function and it’s affecting my ability to do my job.  Something was wrong.  I tried to Skype with my parents about it and they just chalked it up to combat stress and told me to “suck it up.” I continued to experience these anxiety attacks that appeared unprovoked.  It progressed to flashbacks.  A certain smell would send me over the edge.  Or a touch… That night in April 2010, when everything began spiraling downhill, something inside of me snapped.  I couldn’t sit with my back to the door when I went to the DFAC (cafeteria) because I had to see the escape route and watch those that were coming or going.       .   PTSD makes you feel alone even when people are there to help Hello, my name is Shawna and I have PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).  Turned out that all those years of repressing the emotional baggage for all those “life altering events” finally came back to bite me in the butt and emerged as PTSD.  I worked with my psychologist for about six months when she asked me if I had thought about a