Post Traumatic Stress

I believe psychological abuse is a "blanket abuse".  It goes hand in hand with all abuse. 

Domestic violence can take many forms - physical abuse, sexual abuse, rape, emotional abuse, intimidation, economic deprivation, threats of violence.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder:

PTSD, or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of a life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault in adult or childhood. Most survivors of trauma return to normal given a little time. However, some people will have stress reactions that do not go away on their own, or may even get worse over time. These individuals may develop PTSD. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person’s daily life.

People with PTSD experience three different kinds of symptoms. The first set of symptoms involves reliving the trauma in some way such as becoming upset when confronted with a traumatic reminder or thinking about the trauma when you are trying to do something else. The second set of symptoms involves either staying away from places or people that remind you of the trauma, isolating from other people, or feeling numb. The third set of symptoms includes things such as feeling on guard, irritable, or startling easily.
PTSD is marked by clear biological changes as well as psychological symptoms. PTSD is complicated by the fact that people with PTSD often may develop additional disorders such as depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other problems of physical and mental health. The disorder is also associated with impairment of the person’s ability to function in social or family life, including occupational instability, marital problems and divorces, family discord, and difficulties in parenting.

 

What causes PTSD?

Why one person gets PTSD and not another is not completely understood. However, a traumatic experience is required for a diagnosis. Trauma events frequently associated with the development of PTSD include the following:

• Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
• Combat experiences
• Terrorist attacks
• Natural disasters such as tornados, floods, earthquakes, or fires
• Life-threatening accidents, such as automobile accidents, airplane crashes, or boating accidents both experienced or witnessed
• Violent crimes, both experienced or witnessed