Community violence can take many forms: riots, sniper attacks, gang wars and drive-by shootings, and workplace assaults. On a larger scale, terrorist attacks, torture, bombings, war, ethnic cleansing, and widespread sexual, physical and emotional abuse ...  Read more... »

From as long ago as Homer's ancient story of the battle between the Trojans and the Greeks, and the times of the Bible and Shakespeare, military personnel have been confronted by the trauma of war. ...  Read more... »

There are five main types of post-traumatic stress disorder: normal stress response, acute stress disorder, uncomplicated PTSD, comorbid PTSD and complex PTSD. Normal Stress Response The normal stress response occurs when healthy adults who have been ...  Read more... »

Many methods of therapy have been developed for survivors of trauma. All methods share the following guidelines: Therapy always is individualized to meet the specific concerns and needs of each unique trauma survivor, based upon ...  Read more... »

Trauma survivors with PTSD often experience problems in their intimate and family relationships or close friendships. PTSD involves symptoms that interfere with trust, emotional closeness, communication, responsible assertiveness, and effective problem solving: Loss of interest in ...  Read more... »

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized as an anxiety problem that people sometimes experience after witnessing or being involved with a traumatic event, such as a fire, a war, an accident or the like. ...  Read more... »

General Adult Population The following information on PTSD in the general adult population is taken from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) report. The estimated lifetime prevalence of PTSD among adult Americans is 7.8 percent, with women ...  Read more... »

Children often are exposed to trauma as a result of the following kinds of events: physical or sexual assault or abuse family and community violence experiencing or witnessing severe accidents natural or technological disasters life-threatening ...  Read more... »

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a relatively new clinical treatment that has been scientifically evaluated primarily with trauma survivors. EMDR's originator, Dr. Francine Shapiro, describes the procedure in detail in a recent book, ...  Read more... »

Anxiety disorders come in many varieties. Descriptions of some of the most common disorders follow: Generalized Anxiety Disorder: GAD is characterized by persistent anxiety unrelated to a specific event. People suffering from GAD cannot help worrying ...  Read more... »

Anxiety is a normal feeling of uneasiness, concern and apprehension that, when carried to an extreme, can become worry or outright terror. Some amount of anxiety and worrying is a normal and necessary part of life. ...  Read more... »

It's well established that talking about traumatic incidents with a therapist, supportive family or friends can be therapeutic, producing improvements in psychological and physical health. People who open up about traumatic events they have experienced ...  Read more... »

Their name is legion, for they are many, and yet no one knows them. A “legion,” in Biblical terms, was a Roman military platoon of 6,000 men. There are probably more than 6,000 of them in ...  Read more... »

I grew up in poverty, in a family of 9 children in rural Maine. We had a small sustenance farm with animals and a very large garden. I have no memories of being hungry, but ...  Read more... »

I think my problems started at age 3, when my father passed away. My mother said I almost had a mental breakdown, I quit talking, and was in my own little world. That only lasted ...  Read more... »