Adult PTSD
An estimated 3.6% of U.S. adults had PTSD in the past year.
The lifetime prevalence of PTSD is 6.8%
Some common causes of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the United States include:
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Abuse: Physical, sexual, or psychological abuse, including childhood abuse, domestic abuse, and bullying
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Violence: Combat, terrorist attacks, violent assaults, and other forms of violence
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Disasters: Natural disasters like floods or earthquakes, or human-caused disasters like school shootings or car crashes
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Other events: Being threatened with a weapon, witnessing a suicide, or seeing violence in your area
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Work: Exposure to traumatic events at work, such as working in emergency services or the armed forces
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Serious health problems: Being admitted to intensive care
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Childbirth: Traumatic childbirth experiences, such as losing a baby
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Death: The death of someone close to you
Veterans are more likely to have PTSD than civilians, and veterans who deployed to a war zone are more likely to have PTSD than those who did not deploy.
Long term effects
Evidence from Studies on War Veterans and Their Offspring: Studies on populations affected by large-scale traumatic events (such as war veterans) have demonstrated that PTSD symptoms and related psychological issues can manifest in the children of those affected, even decades after the initial trauma. This has been observed in various contexts, including studies on Holocaust survivors, Vietnam veterans, and other groups who have experienced severe trauma
