Triggers can include sights, sounds, smells, or thoughts that remind you of the traumatic event in some way. Some PTSD triggers are obvious, such as seeing a news report of an assault. Others are less clear. For example, if you were attacked on a sunny day, seeing a bright blue sky might make you upset.

Post-traumatic stress disorder was a major military problem during World War I, though it was known at the time as “shell shock.” The term itself first appeared in the medical journal The Lancet in Feb. 1915, some six months after the “Great War” began.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat, or rape or who have been threatened with death, sexual violence or serious injury.

Traumatic reactions can include a variety of responses, such as intense and ongoing emotional upset, depressive symptoms or anxiety, behavioral changes, difficulties with self-regulation, problems relating to others or forming attachments, regression or loss of previously acquired skills, attention and academic …

With regards to duration and frequency, the term Type I trauma is used to identify a single incident trauma whereas Type II trauma denotes a trauma that is prolonged and repeated.

There are two types of reactions to trauma. Type 1 trauma reactions are associated with a discrete, relatively recent event. Type 2 trauma reactions are characterized by repeated or extended trauma over the lifespan, and typically are experienced by persons with a history of abuse in destructive families.

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD; also known as complex trauma disorder) is a psychological disorder that can develop in response to prolonged, repeated experience of interpersonal trauma in a context in which the individual has little or no chance of escape.

The difference between CPTSD and PTSD is that PTSD usually occurs after a single traumatic event, while CPTSD is associated with repeated trauma.

If you have PTSD, this higher level of tension and arousal can become your normal state. That means the emotional and physical feelings of anger are more intense. If you have PTSD, you may often feel on edge, keyed up, or irritable. You may be easily provoked.

Maintenance work is a popular source of employment for many people living with PTSD. You are able to spend your day outdoors with constant movement. That makes it ideal for someone who does not like to sit still. Working in nature with natural light and plenty of vitamin D has also been proven to fight depression.

Yes, your PTSD rating can be reduced. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can lower your disability rating and reduce your monthly benefits for PTSD if it finds evidence that your condition has improved.

The VA can’t reduce your disability if it has been paid for five years unless the condition has improved and is shown to remain so. A similar rule, the “10-Year Rule” says a condition cannot be reduced after being compensated for a full decade unless there is medical evidence of improvement of the condition.

A P rating is not a protected rating. What VA means by “permanent” is that the condition is assumed to be unceasing in nature and not likely to improve. However, if VA becomes aware of medical improvement, a P claim can be reduced just like any other claim.

Permanent and Total disability, or P, refers to veterans whose disabilities are total (rated 100% disabling by VA) and permanent (zero or close to zero chance of improvement). Permanent and total ratings are protected from being reduced and may entitle you or your family to additional VA benefits.

A veteran can be rated 100% “Total” without being “Permanent”. This usually happens when VA assumes a disability may improve. You can tell if a 100% award is Permanent and Total (P) as the decision will approve “Dependents Educational Assistance” and “Chapter 35 Benefits”.

The VA disability 5 year rule allows the VA to ex-examine your VA disability rating within 5 years of your initial examination if your condition is expected to improve over time. However, the VA may still change your disability rating past the 5-year deadline if your condition has significantly improved.