Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that develops due to a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident/injury, a terrorist act, war/combat, death threats, unexpected death of a loved one, sexual violence/abusive relationship, and injury. Symptoms can begin within 3 months of the traumatic incident or years later, but must persist for more than one month & seriously interfere with one’s ability to function, to be considered PTSD. A psychiatrist or psychologist can diagnose PTSD. The diagnosis criteria includes having all of the following for at least 1 month: at least one re-experiencing symptom (e.g. flashbacks – reliving the trauma over and over, including physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating, bad dreams, frightening thoughts), at least one avoidance symptom (staying away from places, events, or objects that are reminders of the traumatic experience, avoiding thoughts or feelings related to the traumatic event), at least two arousal and reactivity symptoms (easily startled, feeling tense or “on edge”, difficulty sleeping, angry outbursts), and at least two cognition and mood symptoms (difficulty remembering key features of the traumatic event, negative thoughts about oneself or the world, loss of interest in enjoyable activities). In children and teens, PTSD symptoms include bed wetting, loss of speaking ability, and being unusually clingy with a parent or other adult. The treatments available for PTSD are medications (antidepressants to control feelings of sadness, worry, anger or numbness, and medications to address sleep problems and nightmares), psychotherapy (talk therapy), or both. The length of treatment depends on the severity of depression and how quickly the individual responds to treatment. In some people, the condition becomes chronic. Psychotherapy involves talking with a mental health professional and can occur one-on-one or in a group. A common psychotherapy technique is cognitive behavioral therapy – it involves exposing the person to their trauma in a safe way to enable them to face their fears, and cognitive restructuring to help them to look at the issues in a realistic way). People suffering from PTSD can also improve their condition by spending time with trusted friends and family, seeking out comforting situations & places, and engaging in mild physical activity to reduce stress.