Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop after any experience that felt overwhelming, threatening, or deeply distressing – not just combat or a single dramatic event. Trauma affects the nervous system in ways that can linger long after the event itself has passed, sometimes surfacing months or even years later.

PTSD can make ordinary life feel unpredictable and exhausting. Reminders of the experience may trigger intense reactions, and many people find themselves going out of their way to avoid anything that brings it back – often without fully understanding why.