A psychological response to experiencing or witnessing traumatic events, characterized by intrusive memories, avoidance behaviors, negative changes in thinking and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity. When severe and persistent, it may constitute PTSD.
First formally recognized in 1980, combining 'post-' meaning after, 'traumatic' from Greek 'trauma' meaning wound, and 'stress' from Latin 'strictus' meaning drawn tight. The concept evolved from 'shell shock' and 'combat fatigue' to recognize trauma's effects beyond warfare.
Post-traumatic stress is actually a normal response to abnormal events - it represents the brain's attempt to protect us from future harm by staying hypervigilant. The symptoms that feel so disruptive were once adaptive survival mechanisms that helped our ancestors survive dangerous environments.
Formalized in DSM-III (1980) after Vietnam War research on combat trauma, predominantly male-centered; women's trauma from domestic violence, sexual assault, and reproductive coercion was historically medicalized as 'hysteria' or underreported, leading to underdiagnosis in women until recent decades.
Use to name trauma across sources (combat, violence, abuse, displacement, systemic oppression) without defaulting only to combat paradigms.
["trauma response","post-trauma symptoms","trauma-informed care"]
Women's trauma has been historically minimized; recognize that domestic and sexual violence are major trauma sources, and that trauma in women is often labeled personality disorder rather than injury.
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