Kinds of PTSD

In the international study, rape, sexual assault, kidnapping and physical abuse by a partner had the highest PTSD risk. These events were less common overall, but they led to a large share of all PTSD.

When someone harms you on purpose, it can shake your trust in people and in the world. That is one reason these events can be so heavy to carry.

Motor vehicle accidents and natural disasters had a lower risk of PTSD per event in the international study. Because these events are common, they still affect a lot of people.

The sudden, unexpected death of someone close was the single event linked to the most PTSD cases worldwide, simply because it happens to so many people.

Another study from the same surveys found that partial PTSD was more common after events that happened to loved ones, while full PTSD was more common after violence against the person themselves.

Many people find it hard to get back in a car, drive the same road, or ride with others after a crash. Some avoid travel altogether.

Trauma-focused therapy can help you face these reminders in small, safe steps, at a pace you agree to. The “Therapies for trauma” guide explains how this works.

People who were driving, or who feel they could have prevented an accident, often carry heavy guilt or shame. Those feelings can keep the memory raw.

Talking it through with a therapist can help you see what you could and could not have known in that moment. The “Witnessing a traumatic event” guide has more on guilt and “I should have done more”.

When an accident leaves pain, scars or a disability, the body can keep bringing the memory back. Pain and PTSD can feed each other.

The “PTSD” guide has a section on pain and physical health, with ideas for caring for both together.

The VA names sexual assault as one of the traumas that make PTSD more likely.

The “Sexual assault & rape” guide covers your choices in the first days, reporting, and healing. “Intimacy after sexual harm” covers closeness and relationships afterward.

Physical abuse by a romantic partner had one of the highest PTSD risks in the international study.

When harm happens again and again, or starts in childhood, some people develop complex PTSD. The “Complex PTSD” guide explains the difference.

After a physical attack, robbery or threat, many people feel on guard in public, jumpy at sounds, or scared to go out alone.

The “After danger or violence” and “After a crime, scam or harassment” guides cover the first days and weeks, and practical next steps.

A review of studies found that about 22% of intensive care survivors had significant PTSD symptoms, and about 19% were diagnosed with PTSD.

How sick someone was did not predict who got PTSD. Frightening or confusing memories from the ICU, like things that seemed real but weren’t, were one of the strongest links.

A review of 24 studies found that about 12% of people had significant PTSD symptoms after a heart attack or similar heart event, and about 4% met full criteria for PTSD.

Some people become afraid of their own heartbeat or avoid activity because it reminds them of that day. Talking with your care team about this matters for both your heart and your mind.

In the international study, about 4.8% of people whose child had a serious illness developed PTSD.

The “PTSD in children & teens” guide has a section on hospital stays and illness for both kids and their families.

Birth can be one of the most intense medical experiences of a person’s life. When it feels out of control or dangerous, it can stay with you.

The “Hard or frightening births” guide covers this in depth, including partners who were there.

Grief is about longing, sadness and missing someone. Trauma reactions are more about fear, feeling on alert, and memories of how the death happened pushing in.

Many people after a sudden loss have some of both. A therapist can help you sort out what’s happening, without you needing the right words first.

Research from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys found partial PTSD was more common after events that happened to loved ones, such as a sudden death.

Partial PTSD can still be heavy. See the section “Partial PTSD” below.

• “After a suicide loss”, for the specific pain of losing someone to suicide
• “Different kinds of loss”, for many kinds of grief
• “Prolonged & complicated grief”, for grief that feels stuck

People sometimes feel they “should be over it” because so much time has passed. But delayed PTSD is a known pattern, and it does not mean you are weak or making it up.

Big life changes, new losses, or reminders like an anniversary can bring old feelings closer to the surface. The “Trauma: what it is & how it affects you” guide has a section on anniversaries and hard dates.

Because delayed PTSD usually follows milder symptoms, it can help to notice changes like poorer sleep, more avoidance or feeling more on edge in the months after a trauma.

The “Noticing changes over time” worksheet in this guide can help you keep track.

The “PTSD” guide has a section on trauma in later life, including how memories can return after retirement or other changes.

It is never too late to get help. Trauma therapy can work decades after the event.

Shaking, fear, poor sleep and feeling unreal are common in the first days and weeks after a trauma. For many people, these ease on their own.

The “PTSD” guide has a section called “The first month after”.

The VA notes that combat trauma makes PTSD more common among veterans.

See “Veterans: PTSD & combat stress” and “Veterans: family & partners”.

Complex PTSD includes the core signs of PTSD plus deep struggles with emotions, self-worth and relationships.

See the “Complex PTSD” guide.

Some people with PTSD feel detached from their body, or as if the world isn’t real. This is the mind’s way of protecting itself.

See the “Dissociation” guide for grounding skills and support.

PTSD can follow seeing someone hurt or killed, not only being hurt yourself.

See “Witnessing a traumatic event”.