Think for a moment about highest mountain you ever climbed, deepest valley you ever crossed, or longest river you ever had to swim. Perhaps it was healing a relationship with an estranged loved one, closing a big deal at work, overcoming an addiction, surviving an illness, succeeding against odds or making what seemed like an impossible dream come true. I imagine that there were moments in process when you felt weak, became convinced you could go no further, and wanted to turn back and give up.

First diagnosed in war veterans, post-traumatic stress disorder was initially named "shell shock" then "battle fatigue". However, by time of conflict in Vietnam, it was given name "post-traumatic stress disorder" (PTSD) in order to give a clearer idea of what exactly is at work. As well, it is not only found in war veterans. In fact, it can be seen in people who were abused as children, rape victims, people who have to clean up after disaster, or anyone else who has undergone severe stress at any point in their lives.

Unfortunately, treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder is still in its infancy. Psychologists, psychiatrists, and neurologists are still coming to grips with disease and its causes and effects, but they are learning new things constantly.

In a strictly biochemical sense, PTSD has its root causes at moment of stress itself. It seems that at moments of extreme stress, biochemical system in charge of adjusting to stress is reset, like a computer. It is as though system is so overloaded that it has to shut itself down and restart. Unfortunately, this also causes mind to quickly return to that moment when it had to start and stop, which can cause flashbacks to moments when shock occurred.

The other results of post-traumatic stress disorder include anger, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, memory problems including amnesia, or any of a host of other mental disorders. Unfortunately, many of these disorders are treated individually without concern for root cause. This is particularly worrisome because approximately 3.6% of adults between ages of 18 and 54 are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and vast majority of them go undiagnosed and untreated. As well, women are twice as likely as men to experience PTSD after a sudden shock.