Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

It is said that after a war or severe accidents the lucky ones are those who are dead. This is because the psychological scars which those and many other traumatic event leaves in the survivors are worse than death. In severe cases, the victim acts like a zombie unable to go through daily life. This is a severe illness, which psychologists have referred to as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and it is experienced by many people after a very traumatic event. Nowadays, with the incidences of vehicular accidents, terrorist strikes, and natural disaster on the rise, more and more people are suffering from this dreaded disorder. However, this is in no way a recent phenomenon. This disorder was first described by the Greek historian, Herodotus, in the year 490 BC. He described the case of a soldier during the Battle of Marathon, who became blind after witnessing the death of a fellow soldier, though that particular soldier did not receive any injury during the war. Then, as early as 1800s doctors began diagnosing soldiers with mental shutdown, as a result of trauma and stress, suffered during battle. No wonder, even now soldiers are the most common sufferers of this disease, and for obvious reasons. To know more read below for the causes, symptoms and treatment of PTSD.