What do you consider to be Traumatic?

I think the key to all of this is that regardless of if it gets the same label, it obviously effected you to that extreme. That means you need to seek help in order to start the recovery process. Without help, it's going to continue hurting you this way and getting worse.

I really don't think that "traumatic" experiences are the only way that people can get PTSD. I know that you can get it just by hearing something traumatic that happened to someone else. It really all depends on the way each person reacts to certain experiences.

I think, as so many other posters have said, that what constitutes trauma is very personal. Too often now people are associating PTSD only with soldiers returning from war. While this is, of course, a very large category of sufferers PTSD is certainly not exclusively a military problem. This assumption probably stems from the ledia exposure our troops are getting now of high instances of PTSD. And who can blame them? But many others suffer from this too and they should never be marginalized.

If your doctor has diagnosed your symptoms as trauma then you have experienced traumatic events.

I was an inner-city public school teacher who also lived in an ultra high crime neighborhood for over a decade. I experienced hearing gunfights nightly. I continued dreaming about violent episodes that occurred in school. I constantly though of the people who were shot in my neighborhood. I could hardly escape those negative thoughts. I often though I would get car jacked every time I parked my car. I was anxious nervous, and short tempered.
My doctor told me that I suffered anxiety similar to a combat veteran. She did not label it PTSD but said it was due to prolonged exposure to real life dangerous situations.

Yes I think it could be considered a very stressful and traumatic event. It sure was for me. I found out my husband had been cheating for years and with Hookers also. I had my first panick attack when I found out. I ended up having panick attack disorder after that and PTSsyndrome.

(06-02-2012 02:37 AM)melodylove Wrote:  Hello,
Do you think that a spouse having a affair can cause one to have PTSD? Is that serious enough or does that not count?

I think that can be considered as traumatic. For me, these can be traumatic events:

1. Sexual assault or Rape
2. Physical, Verbal or Emotional Abuse
3. Death of Loved One
4. Accident Involvement
5. Stresses
6. Chronic Illnesses

I think it still varies from person to person and how well they can manage traumatic events. Some go through abuse and come out from it stronger. Others do not do quite so well and come out traumatised. It can vary on how well a person can handle his or her emotions.