Trauma can be of various forms, some of which are to be worked with a thorough professional therapist. Post traumatic stress disorder is a form of anxiety disorder. It can occur after you’ve been traumatized after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event that involved death or injury threat. o diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder, your doctor will likely:

• Perform a physical exam to check for medical problems that may be causing your symptoms
• Do a psychological evaluation that includes a discussion of your signs and symptoms and the event or events that led up to them
• Use the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association

Diagnosis of PTSD requires exposure to an event that involved the actual or possible threat of death, violence or serious injury. Your exposure can happen in one or more of these ways:

• You directly experienced the traumatic event
• You witnessed, in person, the traumatic event occurring to others
• You learned someone close to you experienced or was threatened by the traumatic event
• You are repeatedly exposed to graphic details of traumatic events (for example, if you are a first responder to the scene of traumatic events)

You may have PTSD if the problems you experience after this exposure continue for more than a month and cause significant problems in your ability to function in social and work settings and negatively impact relationships.

Treatment

Post-traumatic stress disorder treatment can help you regain a sense of control over your life. The primary treatment is psychotherapy, but can also include medication. Combining these treatments can help improve your symptoms by:

• Teaching you skills to address your symptoms
• Helping you think better about yourself, others and the world
• Learning ways to cope if any symptoms arise again
• Treating other problems often related to traumatic experiences, such as depression, anxiety, or misuse of alcohol or drugs