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After a dangerous or scary event, it is normal to feel upset, afraid, and anxious. For most people, these feelings fade within a few weeks. But some people continue to have these feelings for months or years afterward. They may keep reliving the event and avoid items and places that might remind them of what happened. This is called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Women are about twice as likely as men to develop PTSD in their lifetimes.1
PTSD happens when people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event continue to experience symptoms for more than a month that make it difficult to live their lives normally. Traumatic events can include physical or sexual assault, war, natural disasters, car accidents, or any event experienced as deeply scary and upsetting. Although PTSD is often associated with military service members, PTSD may develop after any type of traumatic event.
People with PTSD may continue to experience the traumatic event through flashbacks, nightmares, or memories they cannot control. These thoughts can create serious emotional pain for the person and problems at home, work, or school or with relationships. Most often, the traumatic event happened to the person with PTSD, but sometimes PTSD can happen to a person who witnesses someone else experiencing a trauma. People who develop PTSD usually experience symptoms soon after the traumatic event, but sometimes symptoms don’t appear for months or years afterward.2
PTSD causes the following symptoms:2,3
If you’ve experienced some or all of these symptoms for at least 1 month and they are making it hard to live your life normally, talk to a doctor, nurse, or mental health professional.
Women may experience PTSD differently from men. Women with PTSD may be more likely than men with PTSD to:4
Women usually have PTSD symptoms longer than men (on average, 4 years versus 1 year) before diagnosis and treatment.5 Women with PTSD are less likely than men to have problems with alcohol or drugs after the trauma. Both women and men who have PTSD may also develop physical health problems.4
Any dangerous or life-threatening event, trauma, or intensely scary situation can increase the risk of PTSD. These situations include:
Many other types of trauma can increase the risk for PTSD, but being in an accident or being physically or sexually assaulted are the most common events that lead to PTSD. Women with PTSD are more likely than men with PTSD to have been physically or sexually attacked.6
Not everyone who lives through a dangerous event develops PTSD. But anyone can develop PTSD at any age.
PTSD starts at different times for different people. Symptoms of PTSD may start immediately after a traumatic event and then continue. But people may develop new or more severe PTSD symptoms months or even years later.
Anyone who has been through an experience that was intensely scary, dangerous, or life threatening is at risk of PTSD. Experiencing this type of trauma is common: At least 4 in 5 people experience some type of trauma in their lifetimes.1 The majority of people who experience a trauma do not develop PTSD. The more serious the trauma was or the more directly it affected you, the higher your risk of developing PTSD afterward.7
Military veterans as a group are at very high risk of PTSD. About 14% of veterans of the more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan developed PTSD after returning home.8
Women are about twice as likely as men to develop PTSD.9 Women who have gone through trauma, including women in the military, are more likely than men who’ve experienced trauma to develop PTSD. Among women who are raped, about half develop PTSD.6
Yes, although most women who go through trauma won’t get PTSD. But you may be more likely to develop PTSD if you:
A mental health professional can diagnose PTSD. To be diagnosed with PTSD, an adult must have symptoms for at least 1 month, and the symptoms must be severe enough to affect that person’s ability to function at work and at home.2,3
Having some symptoms of PTSD does not always mean you have PTSD. You could have another mental health condition, or you could be having a natural response in the weeks following the traumatic event. If you think you might have PTSD, the following questions can help you find out whether you should see a mental health professional for PTSD. If you answer “yes” to any three of these questions, talk to your doctor or nurse.13
In your life, have you ever had any experience that was so frightening, horrible, or upsetting that, in the past month, you:
A doctor, nurse, or mental health professional who has experience in treating people with PTSD can help you. Treatment may include therapy or counseling, medicine, or both.
Treatments can last weeks, months, or longer. Treatment is not the same for everyone. What works for you might not work for someone else with PTSD. Drinking alcohol or using other drugs will not help PTSD go away and may even make it worse.
Many people with PTSD have other mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or even suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Getting treatment for PTSD and any other mental health conditions will help you get better. Treatment for PTSD works best when you and your doctor know about the effects of other mental health conditions and take steps to treat them at the same time.
For more information about PTSD, call the OWH Helpline at 1-800-994-9662 or check out the following resources from these organizations:
Enter a city, ZIP code (such as 20002), address, state, or place
Embed this widget on your web site
To receive Mental Health email updates
The Office on Women's Health is grateful for the medical review in 2017 by:
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Danielle Johnson, M.D., FAPA, Psychiatrist, Medical Staff President, Chief of Adult Psychiatry, Director, Women’s Mental Health Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati
Cassidy Gutner, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine; National Center for PTSD, Women’s Health Sciences Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Mark A. Lumley, Ph.D., Professor and Director of Clinical Psychology Training, Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, and his Stress and Health Laboratory team: Jennifer Carty, Heather Doherty, Hannah Holmes, Nancy Lockhart, and Sheri Pegram
Mark Chavez, Ph.D., Chief, Eating Disorders Research Program, NIMH
Kamryn T. Eddy, Ph.D., and Jennifer J. Thomas, Ph.D., Associate Professors of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Co-Directors of the Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital
Kendra Becker, M.S., Clinical Fellow in Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital
Michael Kozak, Ph.D., Division of Adult Translational Research and Treatment Development, NIMH
Alicia Kaplan, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Temple University School of Medicine and Drexel University College of Medicine, and Staff Psychiatrist, Division of Adult Services, Department of Psychiatry, Allegheny Health Network, Allegheny General Hospital
All material contained on these pages are free of copyright restrictions and may be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Citation of the source is appreciated.
Page last updated: August 28, 2018.
After a dangerous or scary event, it is normal to feel upset, afraid, and anxious. For most people, these feelings fade within a few weeks. But some people continue to have these feelings for months or years afterward. They may keep reliving the event and avoid items and places that might remind them of what happened. This is called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Women are about twice as likely as men to develop PTSD in their lifetimes.1
PTSD happens when people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event continue to experience symptoms for more than a month that make it difficult to live their lives normally. Traumatic events can include physical or sexual assault, war, natural disasters, car accidents, or any event experienced as deeply scary and upsetting. Although PTSD is often associated with military service members, PTSD may develop after any type of traumatic event.
People with PTSD may continue to experience the traumatic event through flashbacks, nightmares, or memories they cannot control. These thoughts can create serious emotional pain for the person and problems at home, work, or school or with relationships. Most often, the traumatic event happened to the person with PTSD, but sometimes PTSD can happen to a person who witnesses someone else experiencing a trauma. People who develop PTSD usually experience symptoms soon after the traumatic event, but sometimes symptoms don’t appear for months or years afterward.2
PTSD causes the following symptoms:2,3
If you’ve experienced some or all of these symptoms for at least 1 month and they are making it hard to live your life normally, talk to a doctor, nurse, or mental health professional.
Women may experience PTSD differently from men. Women with PTSD may be more likely than men with PTSD to:4
Women usually have PTSD symptoms longer than men (on average, 4 years versus 1 year) before diagnosis and treatment.5 Women with PTSD are less likely than men to have problems with alcohol or drugs after the trauma. Both women and men who have PTSD may also develop physical health problems.4
Any dangerous or life-threatening event, trauma, or intensely scary situation can increase the risk of PTSD. These situations include:
Many other types of trauma can increase the risk for PTSD, but being in an accident or being physically or sexually assaulted are the most common events that lead to PTSD. Women with PTSD are more likely than men with PTSD to have been physically or sexually attacked.6
Not everyone who lives through a dangerous event develops PTSD. But anyone can develop PTSD at any age.
PTSD starts at different times for different people. Symptoms of PTSD may start immediately after a traumatic event and then continue. But people may develop new or more severe PTSD symptoms months or even years later.
Anyone who has been through an experience that was intensely scary, dangerous, or life threatening is at risk of PTSD. Experiencing this type of trauma is common: At least 4 in 5 people experience some type of trauma in their lifetimes.1 The majority of people who experience a trauma do not develop PTSD. The more serious the trauma was or the more directly it affected you, the higher your risk of developing PTSD afterward.7
Military veterans as a group are at very high risk of PTSD. About 14% of veterans of the more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan developed PTSD after returning home.8
Women are about twice as likely as men to develop PTSD.9 Women who have gone through trauma, including women in the military, are more likely than men who’ve experienced trauma to develop PTSD. Among women who are raped, about half develop PTSD.6
Learn more about how trauma affects women.
Yes, although most women who go through trauma won’t get PTSD. But you may be more likely to develop PTSD if you:
About 1 woman in 10 will develop PTSD at some point in her lifetime.11 Women are about twice as likely as men to develop PTSD.12
A mental health professional can diagnose PTSD. To be diagnosed with PTSD, an adult must have symptoms for at least 1 month, and the symptoms must be severe enough to affect that person’s ability to function at work and at home.2,3
Having some symptoms of PTSD does not always mean you have PTSD. You could have another mental health condition, or you could be having a natural response in the weeks following the traumatic event. If you think you might have PTSD, the following questions can help you find out whether you should see a mental health professional for PTSD. If you answer “yes” to any three of these questions, talk to your doctor or nurse.13
In your life, have you ever had any experience that was so frightening, horrible, or upsetting that, in the past month, you:
A doctor, nurse, or mental health professional who has experience in treating people with PTSD can help you. Treatment may include therapy or counseling, medicine, or both.
Treatments can last weeks, months, or longer. Treatment is not the same for everyone. What works for you might not work for someone else with PTSD. Drinking alcohol or using other drugs will not help PTSD go away and may even make it worse.
Many people with PTSD have other mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or even suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Getting treatment for PTSD and any other mental health conditions will help you get better. Treatment for PTSD works best when you and your doctor know about the effects of other mental health conditions and take steps to treat them at the same time.
For more information about PTSD, call the OWH Helpline at 1-800-994-9662 or check out the following resources from these organizations:
This content is provided by the Office on Women's Health.
A federal government website managed by the Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20201
1-800-994-9662 • Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET (closed on federal holidays).