PTSD Causes and Risk Factors
Post-traumatic stress syndrome, also known as post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that may strike after a severely traumatic event. Traumas that lead to PTSD cause intense fear, and physical harm is usually involved. PTSD is common among combat veterans, rape victims, abuse victims and others who have survived terrifying ordeals.
People with PTSD experience a variety of symptoms, including
- Avoidance behavior
- Extreme anxiety
- Flashbacks
- Hyper-vigilance
- Nightmares.
These symptoms often occur long after the trauma has ended. Without treatment, PTSD may lead to substance abuse, depression and thoughts of suicide.
What Causes PTSD?
As is the case with many mood disorders, a potential cause of PTSD is rooted in biology. When a person is in a dangerous and frightening situation, the brain responds by releasing stress hormones. But severe trauma can cause the brain’s stress response to become hyperactive. This change in the brain leads to:
- Flashbacks
- Hyper-vigilance (being constantly on edge and looking for danger, even in safe conditions)
- Intrusive emotions
- Sleep problems.
Many people with PTSD also experience dissociative symptoms like memory impairment. They often feel emotionally numb and disconnected from loved ones. This may also be due to a change in brain chemistry. When a person is exposed to severe, prolonged or repeated trauma, the brain releases opiates as a defense mechanism whenever the person is reminded of the ordeal. The opiates produce a numbing effect and cause symptoms like amnesia and emotional unresponsiveness.
Finally, severe trauma may cause a depletion of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a brain transmitter that’s responsible for regulating mood, among other things. Low levels of serotonin in the brain are strongly linked to depression, anxiety and other mood disorders.
PTSD Risk Factors
Women are four times more likely to develop post-traumatic stress syndrome than men, according to statistics from the Mayo Clinic (2009), probably because they are more likely to be exposed to traumatic events that trigger the disorder. In women, the most common situational causes of PTSD are:
- Being threatened with a weapon
- Childhood abuse
- Physical attacks
- Rape
- Sexual molestation.
The most common triggers in men include:
- Childhood neglect and abuse
- Exposure to combat
- Rape.
The following additional situations may also be a cause of PTSD:
- Assault
- Car accidents
- Civil conflict
- Fire
- Kidnapping
- Plane crash
- Terrorist attack
- Torture.
However, exposure to these ordeals does not necessarily mean a person will develop PTSD. Additional PTSD risk factors include:
- Especially severe or intense traumas
- Existing mental-health conditions
- Family history of PTSD or depression
- History of abuse or neglect
- Lack of support system
- Long-lasting traumas.
Resources
Dryden-Edwards, R. (2009). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Retrieved May 13, 2010, from www.medicinenet.com/posttraumatic_stress_disorder/article.htm.
Mayo Clinic. (2009). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Causes. Retrieved May 13, 2010, from www.mayoclinic.com/health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/DS00246/DSECTION=causes.
Mayo Clinic. (2009). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Risk factors. Retrieved May 13, 2010, from www.mayoclinic.com/health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/DS00246/DSECTION=risk-factors.
Swierzewski, S.J. (2007). PTSD causes, risk factors for PTSD. Retrieved May 13, 2010, from www.mentalhealthchannel.net/ptsd/causes.shtml.