Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Analysis

Typically, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in America is associated with veterans of armed forces. Many studies have been conducted to determine the extent to which veterans of war are traumatized. For example, A 2003 study from American Journal of Epidemiology, describes the comparison of Gulf War veterans to non-Gulf War veterans in their likelihood to suffer from such extreme stress (Kang, Natelson, Mahan, Lee, & Murphy). Approximately half Gulf War veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and are three times more likely than non-Gulf War Veterans to develop PTSD (Kang et al., 2003). Because the disorder is so prevalent in these groups, PTSD can seem distant from the average American who has never been to war.
Although

average Americans are less at-risk for post-traumatic stress disorder, it can still occur. I personally watched a friend struggle, and occasionally still continue to struggle, with anxiety after an assault incident. Because I had the presumption, like many other Americans, that only war veterans and those experiencing extreme situations were at risk for PTSD, I close-mindedly misjudged her situation. In retrospect, I can now see that my friend met the criterion, and showed many symptoms of PTSD, such as, flashbacks to the incident, and specific moments leading up to the traumatic events of that night, and emotional distress after the event (“National Center for PTSD”, 2016). She began to have negative personal thoughts, increased isolation, and difficulty sleeping persisting for an extended amount of time, all of which are symptoms indicating post-incident stress (2016). Although I cannot relive the past to offer more sympathy, I now realize the ideal that only war veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder is wildly wrong, and many individuals struggle with PTSD that may not fit a “stereotype”.