Friday, April 28, 2023 - Mental Health Awareness Topic: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) PTSD may develop following exposure to an extremely threatening or horrific event or series of events. It is characterized by all the following: 1) re-experiencing the traumatic event or events in the present (intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares); 2) avoidance of thoughts and memories of the event(s), or avoidance of activities, situations, or people reminiscent of the event(s); and 3) persistent perceptions of the heightened current threat. These symptoms can be reoccurring and cause significant impairment in daily functioning. Effective psychological treatment does exist.